


Three's a Party, Five's a Family

by orphan_account



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Babies, F/M, Fluff, Graphic Description, Humor, M/M, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Polyamorous relationship, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Pregnancy, Smut, Torture, the avengers get a baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-05-29 17:53:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 49,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6386296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Shit."</p><p>Darcy gnawed on her bottom lip harshly as she stared down at the test that rested on her bathroom counter.  Perhaps it was a false positive? Yeah, it could definitely be a false positive.</p><p>If it weren't for the other three tests on the counter Darcy could hold onto that hope. But no. She was definitely pregnant. </p><p>"Double shit."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> clearly i can't stop myself from starting something new when i already have a couple WIP's going.
> 
> WHOOPS
> 
> have some fluff and stuff

"Shit."

 

Darcy gnawed on her bottom lip harshly as she stared down at the test that rested on her bathroom counter.Perhaps it was a false positive? Yeah, it could definitely be a false positive.

 

If it weren't for the other three tests on the counter Darcy could hold onto that hope. But no. She was definitely pregnant. 

 

"Double shit."

 

Darcy tried not to panic, but that was impossible at the moment. She was 24, an assistant to the world's greatest astrophysicist, lived in the new Avengers facility, and just spent half an hour pissing on some plastic to confirm that there was a bun in the oven. 

 

She placed a hand on her still-flat stomach and quirked an eyebrow wryly.

 

"Well, this is definitely going to be an adventure, kiddo."

 

\----

 

"FRIDAY, I'm gonna need you to enact some privacy protocols up in here."

 

Jane startled at her friend's voice, not expecting her in the lab since she had called in sick that morning. Looking at Darcy, Jane could definitely tell that something was _really_ wrong.

 

"What's the matter, Darce?” The only time Jane ever heard of Darcy enacting privacy protocols were during particularly raunchy storytelling time, but Jane realized that living in this facility with all the ridiculously good looking people Darcy had reason to enact that a lot, if only to save herself from embarrassment. None all of storytelling time involving the other residents were real stories, they were just fantasies, after all.

 

"So, I'm totally freaking out and I don't really know what the next steps are except to freak out some more and maybe see Bruce? Yeah, that's probably good and maybe not tell Thor for a bit because I still haven't told you or _anyone_ and oh my god _Janie, I'm pregnant_."

 

Jane had no response. 

 

"I'm really going to need you to say something, boss-lady."

 

"Are you keeping it?" Jane was hiding her excitement, needing to hear the answer before she got her hopes up. No one knew it or suspected it, but Jane really loved babies and kids. Yeah, they had a tendency to spew some sort of liquid everywhere and they would never be safe in her lab, but they were so stinking _cute_! 

 

"Yeah, Janie, I'm keeping the baby."

 

Jane just let it all out then.

 

"OH MY GOD! CONGRATS, DARCY! There's gonna be a _baby_ and you're going to be a _mom_! This is so exciting!"

 

Darcy must not have been prepared for this reaction because Jane's assistant jumped a solid two feet in the air before settling and letting out a hysterical giggle. 

 

Soon enough, Darcy was getting mother hen-ed (ha!) by Jane, bottles of water and one of Tony’s weird protein shakes getting thrusted into her hands seemingly out of nowhere. 

 

"Okay, so clearly _I_ am excited--"

 

"Just a bit, boss lady."

 

"--but what about _you?_ you haven't said much, granted that was my fault, but what are you feeling about it?"

 

Jane watched as Darcy pursed her lips in thought for a few minutes, then as a genuine smile gently spread its way across her mouth. 

 

"I'm still freaking out, and I'll probably flip my shit later more, but I think I'm excited. Nervous, but the good kind?"

 

Beaming at her best friend's happiness, Jane braced herself for her next question since it was a sensitive topic. 

 

"Who's the father? And when are you going to tell him?"

 

Darcy's face paled, and Jane realized that Darcy hadn't even gotten that far into thinking ahead yet. 

 

"Oh fuck, oh _FUCK!”_

 

"Darcy, what's wrong?!" Jane's mind immediately began going to worse case scenarios and wondering if she needed Thor to enact some vengeance for his Lightning sister. 

 

"Janie, the father situation is...ah, it's a bit complicated…"

 

Darcy then went into detail ( _holy hell, a_ ** _lot_** _of detail)_ about a night a month and a half ago that she spent with Steve and Bucky. What had started out as a casual night with the three friends watching movies together that eased into harmless flirting before they all ‘suddenly’—Darcy’s words, not Jane’s—fell into bed together. Jane had a moment of silence for Darcy’s birth control, apparently the pills didn’t stand a chance against the two super-soldiers’ swimmers.

 

Jane's jaw had just about hit the floor as Darcy began her tale. Before she got around to freaking out with Darcy, Jane slowly raised her hand for a high five. 

 

"Before we have more panic attacks, I really need to say: _Damn_ , minion. Well done."

 

Darcy barked out an incredulous bout of laughter but reciprocated Jane's high five anyways.

 

"Thanks, boss lady, I'm pretty proud of that myself, even if it complicates things."

 

"A lot."

 

"Yes, Jane. It complicates things a lot."

 

XxX

 

Darcy and Jane kept the news to themselves for a couple more weeks, wanting to wait until Darcy was a little further along so they could go to Bruce to confirm Darcy's pregnancy. They were pretty certain about it, with the super soldiers and the four pregnancy tests, but it never hurt to have a (sort of) professional opinion. While not an actual _medical_ doctor, Bruce was the most qualified for a potential super baby.

 

They really shouldn't have planned for discretion though. 

 

The entire team was gathered in the common room one Thursday night, a full two weeks after Darcy told Jane about the kiddo in her gut. Every Thursday was family game night (enforced by Darcy) and this night's game was a candy land tournament. With a building filled with supers and enhanced people, it was realized quickly that any game that wasn't a children's game ended within 30 seconds and a lot of yelling. 

 

Darcy was updating the bracket (Pietro, Vision, Sam, and Scott to the final four) when the crack of thunder shook the back windows. The team turned as one to look at the clear sky before coming to the simultaneous conclusion.

 

Thor was back.

 

Darcy immediately froze, only moving when Jane appeared at her side having sensed her panic. 

 

"Janie, what do we do?!"

 

Thor was the god of _fertility_ as well as thunder, there was no way this was going over without conflict. The big guy had adopted Darcy as a sister, so he held some ridiculous standard for her honor. She didn't have the heart to remind him that her honor was tarnished years ago. 

 

Jane was torn between excitement of a surprise visit from her space boyfriend and the dread forDarcy at the drama to come. Casting a furtive look over her shoulder, Jane could see that Thor was already at the sliding glass doors. They were out of time. 

 

"We've just got to ride this out, Darce.”

 

Hoping to give her friend a few spare moments to brace herself, Jane ran over to Thor and jumped into his arms. During their reunion, Jane felt a little guilty that she wasn’t 100% with Thor in the moment, concerned about Darcy and the shit that was about to hit the fan.

 

“Where is my Lightening Sister?” Thor’s booming voice echoed among the various voices calling out greetings that he was ignoring to search for Darcy instead. Finding her at the back of the group, Thor’s face lit up like a beam of sunlight as he pushed his way to her.

 

“Darcy! I am glad to see you are we—” Thor paused his jovial greeting, Darcy hanging awkwardly in his arms from where he had picked her up off the floor in a hug, as was his custom.

 

Slowly, the god lowered Darcy so she could stand on her own two feet but did not remove his arms from around her.

 

“I did not know you were courting someone, Darcy,” Jane winced at the murmured words and the hint of hurt in Thor’s voice. Thor and Darcy were a blend of siblings and best friends, and it was clear that he was upset that she was potentially keeping something from him.

 

Bracing herself, Jane attempted to covertly place herself between the soon-to-be angry god and the rest of the Avengers who were now looking at the scene with curiosity.

 

“I’m not courting anyone, Thor.” Darcy’s words were barely heard to Jane, but she had no doubt that the room filled with enhanced people were catching this entire conversation.

 

“But you are—”

 

“Yes, I am, and I—”

 

“YOU HAVE BEEN DISHONORED, LIGHTENING SISTER!” 

 

Everyone winced as one as Thor’s rage brought down an onslaught of rain outside with giant bolts on lightening with just as intimidating claps of thunder.

 

“ _Thor!_ Please calm down—”

 

“What does the father have to say for himself, sister? I would like to have _words_ with this miscreant about the way one treats the lady who carries his child.”

 

Jane’s eyes fell closed as everyone gasped at Thor’s words, Scott, Clint, and Tony uttering “Oh _shit_ ” in sync with each other.

 

Darcy’s eyes rapidly shifted between Thor, Jane, and the Avengers (being sure to keep her eyes off of a certain pair of super soldiers), desperately searching for a way out but knowing that there was none.

 

She sighed, rubbing a hand down her face underneath her glasses in exasperation. “The father doesn’t know, Thor. I had only told Jane and was waiting to tell the father once I was 100% sure that I was pregnant…though you definitely took care of that last bit for me.”

 

Thor was unfazed by the fact that he had just spilled the beans about the baby, turning his hurt gaze on Jane instead.

 

“You know who the father is and he has not been reprimanded?”

 

Knowing this was her time to step in, Jane nodded and made her way over to the pair so she could wrap her arms around Darcy’s waist in a hug.

 

“Yes, but she asked me to keep it a _secret_ so I did, I wanted her to do this on her own terms.”

 

As if hearing the words from his girlfriend instead of his sister did some sort of light-bulb effect on the god, Thor quickly turned his head to give Darcy a beseeching look.

 

“I am sorry, Darcy, that I revealed your secret before you were ready. I simply acted without thinking and I hope you can forgive me for this slight.”

 

Unsurprisingly, Darcy’s jovial manner was back in a moment, beaming up at Thor.

 

“Aw, it’s okay, big guy. You kind of saved me the stress of telling everyone, so that’s nice.”

 

Sam, beautiful, sane and normal Sam, spoke up from his spot on the couch.

 

“Okay, am I the only one here that is dying to know who the baby-daddy is so the Avengers can go kick his ass?” Jane sighed, clearly he was spending too much time around Tony and Clint.

 

There were grunts of agreement from the room, Natasha even going as far to pull out a knife to twirl it between her fingers.

 

Jane looked at Darcy to gage her reaction but was too late to stop her from speaking when she saw the devious expression on Darcy’s face that usually led to _very bad things._

 

“I’d love to see that, personally, especially seeing as there’s a 50-50 shot of it being either of our favorite soldiers from the 40s.”

 

XxX

 

Okay, so Darcy _really_ should have thought before speaking, especially when her two baby-daddies (oh _god_ was that a horrible sounding thing) were still seated on the couch surrounded by heroes who were _very_ protective of Darcy.

 

Thor’s hand immediately extended to his side to call for Mjölnir, Tony called for one of his suit’s gauntlets (even though he was laughing hysterically at the situation, Darcy was the pseudo daughter her never had and he was just rolling with the paternal feelings), Clint leapt from his perch on the counter and clocked Bucky in the jaw, and Natasha had moved lightening fast and was squeezing Steve around his diaphragm with her thighs with everything she had.

 

Vision and Wanda looked like they weren’t surprised by anything that had happened, but Darcy remembered that they were both telepaths so they probably _weren’t_ surprised. She made a note to bake them some tasty treats as a thank-you for not blabbing. Vision beamed at her as he heard her thoughts, he was particularly fond of the snickerdoodles she baked.

 

Pietro was laughing like a mad-man as he began filming the action on his phone next to Darcy, having used his speed to get to her side in less than a heartbeat so he could capture it all on film. “For posterity,” he teased.

 

Sam and Scott simply dodged their way out of the melee, but still kept their stern faces of ‘You shouldn’t have been so reckless’ on. Scott had a daughter, so this hit a bit close to home for him.

 

Darcy liked to think that if Hope was there as well, she’d be joining Natasha with the thigh-strangling. The woman was a badass, and Darcy hated that she wasn’t in the facility as frequently as everyone else.

 

Looking for Jane, Darcy found her standing in front of a very irate Thor trying to prevent Steve and Bucky from getting a Mjölnir to the head.

 

Rolling her eyes at the spectacle, Darcy brought her fingers to her mouth and let out a shrill whistle, getting everyone’s attention.

 

“Wow, guys, that was a little dramatic, don’t you think?”

 

Most of the room shuffled their feet sheepishly, while Bucky and Steve’s pale faces just emitted shock. Natasha refused to release Steve, shrugging at Darcy shamelessly.

 

“I was on birth control, it failed, and that happens sometimes. So _don’t_ beat on them for something none of us could have expected, okay?”

 

She gave the room a firm stare, the one she used whenever she needed to get all her scientists to leave the lab to eat and get some sunshine. Darcy was pleased to see that it also worked on super-heroes, each of them cowing beneath her gaze.

 

Bucky pushed himself off of the floor while rubbing his jaw, casting a wary eye at Clint who was wearing the smuggest grin Darcy had ever seen.

 

“Doll, you think us three could take this conversation elsewhere? Think we need to have a discussion.”

 

Steve’s rapid nodding showed that he agreed with his boyfriend, so he tried to remove Natasha’s legs from his chest in order to stand up from the couch.

 

“No. You guys can have this conversation in medical, Darcy needs a doctor appointment _now_ and I am appointing myself as her doctor. Objections?” The room startled at Bruce’s firm voice from his spot in his usual armchair to the side of the room, his expression daring anyone to challenge him. Where Tony took up the mantle as Darcy’s pseudo father, Bruce was like the overprotective uncle always by his side.

 

Darcy sighed in relief that Bruce was appointing himself, she was worried she was going to have to awkwardly beg the quiet physicist to take the job, but she should have known better. Besides being one of the Avengers himself, he was one of the only experts on the super soldier serum (and what happened when things went wrong) so it made sense that he would have a vested interest the potential super baby’s health as well as Darcy’s.

 

Seeing and hearing no objections, Bruce stood and quickly made his way to Darcy’s side, pausing for the briefest of moments to give Steve and Bucky a dry look that said, _Well? Aren’t you coming?_

 

Wasting no further time the two men ran to Darcy and Bruce, their bodies displaying their usual confidence and swagger while their faces betrayed their nerves and shock. Together they flanked Darcy’s sides as they followed Bruce to the elevators and down into his lab.

 

XxX

 

Bucky wasn’t sure why Darcy kept giggling when she looked at him and Steve, but he wasn’t going to question it when she seemed so relaxed about their…situation. He kept shifting his weight in the shitty chair he sat in, wondering if Bruce gave him and Steve the world’s most uncomfortable chairs on purpose.

 

Darcy sat on a medical examination table, swinging her legs as if she hadn’t a worry in the world. As if she wasn’t carrying either Steve OR Bucky’s baby. She did lose her calm demeanor minutes earlier when Bruce had to ask if she planned on keeping the baby, despite the show that went down in the common area. They all needed to know that she wasn’t feeling pressured by the reveal to keep it.

 

“No, I decided weeks ago when I told Jane that I was keeping it,” her nervous gaze turned to Steve and Bucky as they slumped in their chairs in relief. “I don’t know how you two want to move forward from here, but I’m keeping the baby and I’ll respect your decisions if you don’t want to be involved.”

 

Bruce waved off the conversation before the two men could reassure Darcy, telling them that he was there for medical purposes and not there to facilitate family meetings. His teasing words snapped Darcy out of the small funk she had gotten into moments before as he intended.

 

So now Bucky sat freaking out in the examination room, using every ounce of his sniper’s training to regulate his breathing and keep calm as Bruce drew blood and administered a whole slew of tests to Darcy. Steve sat on his right, fidgeting constantly and always looking a moment away from bursting with his nerves and questions.

 

“Okay, Darcy, you seem perfectly healthy,” she preened as Bruce covered the puncture mark in the crease of her elbow with a Hulk band aid, but frowned as he continued to speak, “However, I’m going to write you up a nutritional health-plan and some prenatal vitamins. I want you to make sure you watch your hunger. We know how the serum affects the guys’ metabolism, but I’m not sure how it will affect you and the baby. So if you’re hungry, for the love of god, _eat.”_ For effect, Bruce pulled out a protein bar from his coat pocket and handed it to Darcy.

 

“Thanks, Bruce! Can’t wait to have an excuse to eat everything I want with a free pass!” Darcy giggled as she jumped from the table but her face turned stern as she faced Bucky and Steve.

 

Hands on her hips, she raised a commanding eyebrow at them.

 

“Alrighty boys, I think we need to have a talk.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my goodness i am floored by the response this has gotten so far! thank you so much for all the love and comments!
> 
> have some smut for your troubles

Darcy put the boys to work as they talked, throwing out booze and other foodstuffs that weren't on Bruce's "Super Baby Approved" list. She tried not to frown as about 90% of her pantry and fridge were tossed into giant garbage bags.

 

_So Bruce is a dirty liar and I am definitely not in perfect health. Dammit._

 

"You guys heard my plan, the super baby is staying and I'm going to mom the shit out of this parenting role, but I won't hold you guys to the same standard if you guys aren’t wanting to be part of this."

 

This was clearly the _wrong_ thing to say as both super soldiers tensed and turned incredulous looks at her.

 

"Doll, of _course_ we're gonna hold ourselves to the same standards! What the hell, Darce?”

 

Bucky's vehemence caught Darcy off guard, almost startling her off the barstool at her counter. Steve nodded along, though his tone was gentler.

 

"Darcy, we're in this together, and we wouldn't have it any other way."

 

She blushed at the sincerity in his voice and eyes, looking down and fiddling with the rings on her fingers.

 

"Thank you, seriously. That means a lot. I didn't think you'd want to cut and run, but I just wasn't sure, since you two are _together_ and it's not like I'm dating either one of you so this is a lot more complicated than normal."

 

Wow, Darcy was great at saying the wrong things, apparently. Steve looked like she just shot a puppy. 

 

"What do you mean?"

 

Not really sure what he was getting at (and definitely not getting her hopes up, NOPE not at all) Darcy tried to clarify without making Steve feel like he was getting stabbed in the feels.

 

"Well, you two are my best friends and I'm crazy about you guys, but you two are _boyfriends_ and we just slept together. It was amazing, but I don't want the consequences of that to get in between what you two have."

 

Bucky looked resigned while Steve's expression warred between confusion and hurt, and Darcy didn't know how to fix it. 

 

"Okay, guys, _seriously,_ what is with the sad faces? What did I do wrong? What aren't you telling me?"

 

She squashed her growing hope viciously with the wrath of an angry Pepper Potts in a board meeting as the two men communicated silently for a minute.

 

“Darce, apparently Steve is unclear as to what a date is in 2016 as well as what it means to be ' _dating_.'"

 

Darcy still wasn't sure how that was an answer.

 

"I'm not sure how that's an answer."

 

(She kept brutally stabbing the hope in her chest, knowing she wouldn't survive if she let it bloom and then was wrong).

 

Bucky ran his metal hand down his face in exasperation before pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers, as if fighting off a headache.

 

"You two blockheads are going to kill me, I know it." He sighed then met Darcy's gaze head on, letting every ounce of hidden emotion through as he spoke. 

 

"The punk and I are gone on you, doll. We've wanted you since the day we laid eyes on you and we fell for you as soon as you opened your smart mouth. Stevie and I have been trying to figure a way out to bring up the idea of us three being together. It's all we want, Darcy, what about you?"

 

Darcy looked to Steve, knowing that the hope she felt rising was broadcasting off of her face, needing him to confirm Bucky's words.

 

"Yeah, sweetheart, everything he said is true."

 

Love bursting in her chest, Darcy scrambled off her seat and jumped into Steve's arms, grabbing him by the back of his neck to pull his lips down to hers. Steve deepened the kiss immediately and picked her up to sit her on the counter next to Bucky.

 

"Is that a yes?" Steve's voice was low and gravely, his eyes dark as they drank in her flushed state. 

 

"That's definitely a yes. I'm yours."

 

XxX

 

Steve shared an elated look with Bucky for half a second before he slammed his lips back to Darcy's mouth, groaning as she arched her back and moaned at the feeling. Her breasts pressed against his own chest so Steve wasted no time in pushing his hands under the hem of her shirt to feel them. Steve felt Bucky's hand between them unbuttoning Darcy's oversized flannel with ease, exposing her dark blue bra to their hungry eyes. Bucky hummed in appreciation as he flicked the front clasp open letting Darcy's perfect beasts bounce free. Steve immediately began pushing her shirt and bra straps off her shoulders as Bucky's hands covered her breasts and he began to suck kisses on the delicate skin on her neck.

 

_"More!"_

 

Steve could see Bucky smirk where his face was flush against to column of Darcy's throat, mesmerized by the way her pale skin began to flush from their attention.

 

"Anything for you, sweetheart," Steve placed one more bruising kiss on Darcy's lips before he picked her up, winding her legs high around his ribs so he could hold her at the perfect height to put his mouth all over her chest. He groaned as he took one of her nipples into his mouth and she ground her crotch hard against him, keening at the sensation of the rough denim between her thighs.

 

"Take her to bed, punk, I'll be right behind you enjoying the show."

 

Bucky's voice had taken on a low growl that Steve knew meant his boyfriend was heavily aroused. He always had a _thing_ for watching.

 

Trusting his instincts to get him to their bedroom without stumbling, Steve continued his ministrations on Darcy's chest as he walked, pulling her hips down to keep her grinding against him. Darcy's moans told him that the motion was not nearly enough, and Steve smirked around the nipple in his mouth, giving it a harsh tug.

 

"Need something, baby?"

 

" _Steve!_ Stop teasing!" Darcy's protests ended on a high pitched squeak as she found herself suddenly on her back on the bed, head cradled by Steve's large right hand. His left hand had found its way between her legs as he brought the two of them to the mattress, rubbing harshly over the damp fabric of her jeans.

 

"But you're so beautiful when you beg, ain't that right Bucky?"

 

The man in question was leaning in the doorway, shirtless and jeans hanging open low on his hips, letting Darcy and Steve know that he wasn't wearing anything underneath. 

 

"She does beg so sweetly," Bucky agreed, eyes alight with fire as he watched Steve tease Darcy more."I want to see her, punk, get rid of the rest of her clothes."

 

"You going to join us, Bucky?" Darcy's voice was breathless as Steve began kissing down her stomach as he yanked her pants and thong off her hips easily. "I want you in my mouth while Steve puts his on me."

 

Unable to resist, Bucky shucked his pants and made his way to the other side of the bed so she could kneel on the mattress at Darcy's head. "Hands and knees, doll."

 

Hearing the command in his voice, Darcy immediately sat up and rolled over at Bucky's words, body trembling in anticipation. Steve's breath was taken away at the sight of the pair, all smooth skin and blue eyes that sparked with lust. Shaking himself from his stupor, Steve spread Darcy's legs before laying on his back and easing his head under her, hands on her hips to guide her center to his mouth. 

 

Steve groaned as he tasted her, moving his tongue in tight circles around her clit at a break-neck pace then slowing down, never keeping to a pattern so Darcy would remain on edge. He grew harder as her moans became more desperate, Bucky’s own noises of satisfaction echoing his lovers’. Steve didn’t know how long they remained in that position, but eventually he couldn’t deny himself any longer. Quickly, he replaced his tongue with his fingers inside of her as he moved to kneel behind Darcy, but removed them much to Darcy’s displeasure only moments later. Shushing her, Stevewasted no time in pushing himself in and setting a punishing pace.

 

The rapid intrusion sent Darcy over the edge, making her pull her mouth off of Bucky and _screaming_ her pleasure over and over again, calling out both of their names. Steve almost lost himself as she squeezed around him but he kept snapping his hips into Darcy’s to drag out her orgasm. He couldn’t tear his eyes off of the way her body stretched out in front of him, Darcy’s smooth pale skin glistening with sweat as he and Bucky ravished her between them. Steve kept thrusting into Darcy staving off his own release until he knew she would come again and Bucky got his as well.

 

Steve moved his right hand from Darcy’s hip and slid it over the expanse of her back before leading it back down and letting it follow the curve of her waist and between her legs. He picked up his pace of his hips as he circled his fingers firmly over Darcy’s clit, wringing another orgasm out of her. Her moans sent vibrations through Bucky’s cock that she was swallowing that sent him over the edge as well. Seeing his lovers come together was enough to grant Steve his release with a shout, eyes darting between the two panting brunettes as he came down from his high. 

 

Gently, Steve and Bucky pulled themselves back and helped Darcy lay down comfortably between them. They bracketed their girl on either side of her, limbs all tangled together as they calmed their racing hearts.

 

Steve pressed a kiss to Darcy’s temple, staying there for a few moments to just breathe her in and let the fact sink in that _she said yes._ There was a lot in Steve’s past, and his present, that made him question any happiness he found. He led a dangerous life and made plenty of enemies but he would be _damned_ if he let his family be taken from him.

 

He met Bucky’s eyes over Darcy’s head as her soft snores broke into his melancholy thoughts, but he wasn’t surprised to see his own expression mirrored on his boyfriend’s face. They made a silent vow together as they kept watch over Darcy and their unborn baby, that they’d do everything they could to keep them safe and happy.

 

Besides, they had the entirety of the Avengers at their side. They knew their family would help anyway they could.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter!  
> i've kind of got plots worked out for all 3 of my WIP's, but im going back and forth on updating them, it just depends where my mind is at each day

Darcy woke up briefly when Steve and Bucky got up at the ass crack of dawn for their usual run with Sam but easily fell back asleep when they dropped a couple more blankets on her to replace the heat of their bodies. She was able to get a couple more hours of sleep until FRIDAY kept setting off little _pings_ until Darcy woke.

 

“Ugh, _what_ , FRIDAY?”

 

_“Doctor Banner would like you to meet him in medical, he was able to procure an ultrasound machine and would like to have you sit for an exam.”_

 

Darcy was only half listening, crawling under the covers and edging to the side of the bed to grab her clothes off the floor. Her guys must have brought them back for her when they woke up. Darcy did an awkward shimmy so that she could get dressed while still under the covers, letting out a cry of victory when she did.

 

“Sorry, FRIDAY, can you run that by me again?”

 

FRIDAY did the equivalent of a sigh of exasperation before speaking, _“Doctor Banner would like you to meet him in medical for an ultrasound.”_

 

“Oh, swanky. Are my guys back?”

 

_“They are currently decimating what was left of any breakfast items in the communal kitchen.”_

 

“Of course they are. Can you tell them to meet me in medical? I figure they’d want to be part of this. But tell them and Bruce I need a shower, first, I’m not going to learn about the super baby while all sexed up.”

 

The AI paused for a moment before responding, _“They shall meet you there, Darcy. I took the liberty of censuring your message, though, to avoid any embarrassment.”_

 

“You’re the best, FRIDAY.”

 

One shower, change of clothes, and a Bruce-approved quick breakfast later, Darcy was seated on the exam table from the night before with Steve and Bucky sitting in their same spots as well.

 

They must have had some dopey expressions on their faces because when Bruce walked in with the machine, he took one look at them and sighed.

 

“Glad to see you all got your relationship sorted out.”

 

Darcy let out a peal of laughter as the guys squirmed, uncomfortable at the ease Bruce read them.

 

“Thanks, Doc. So, we going to take a peek at the super baby today?”

 

Bruce smiled at Darcy’s enthusiasm, “Yes. I want to see how far along you are, and check on the health of the fetus.”

 

A pair of dropped pants, some cold gel (“ _Warn_ a girl, Bruce!”), and a whirring machine later, Darcy laid back holding Steve and Bucky’s hands while Bruce dragged the want over her lower abdomen, looking for the baby.

 

“Well, everything looks good, guys. You’re just about nine weeks along, and you’ve got a healthy baby here,” Bruce shifted the wand and paused at what he saw. “…huh. I’m not even surprised.”

 

“What? What is it?” Steve’s voice was panicked and Darcy just _knew_ he was already going to worst-case scenarios.

 

“Don’t worry, it’s good news. You see that movement there? That’s your baby’s heartbeat.” He moved the wand over again to where he had paused, “And that’s _another_ heartbeat.”

 

It took a moment, but finally Bruce’s words sank in.

 

“ _Twins?!”_ Darcy’s shriek was drowned out by the guys’ simultaneous yelps of surprise.

 

With a flourish, Bruce flipped a switch on the machine and the room was suddenly filled with a bunch of fast-paced _tha-thumps_ of two little hearts beating away.

 

“Twins,” he confirmed.

 

XxX

 

Bucky was freaking out.

 

Darcy still sat on the examination table cooing over pictures of the ultrasound that Bruce was printing and the doctor kept ducking his head to try to hide an amused smile that kept twitching on his face, but Bucky saw it anyways. He turned to Steve, hoping that his boyfriend would be a little bit more level-headed than he was at the moment but Steve’s shell shocked expression blew any hope Bucky had out of the water.

 

So Bucky and Steve were freaking out. _Hard._

 

He was so excited, they were a _family_ and they were going to have _kids_. But on the other hand, they were having _kids._ Plural. _At the same time._

 

“Oh my god, we’ve got so much shit to do.”

 

Steve’s head snapped to Bucky at his murmured declaration, eyes widening as if he was just remembering that _yes,_ the facility definitely needed some prep work before there were any babies running around.

 

Because of his super-serum, Bucky’s enhanced hearing could pick up the exact moment Steve’s heart rate went into overdrive. Half a second later, Steve was up and pacing the small room frantically.

 

“ _Oh fuck!_ Okay, we need to baby-proof and get a nursery together and, and— _I don’t even know what babies need!_ Bucky! Darcy! What—?”

 

His rambling spluttered to a stop as Darcy and Bruce broke out in hysterics.

 

“Steve, you have _got_ to calm down, hun.”

 

“But _Darcy—”_

 

Bruce cut in, knowing that Steve was only going to throw himself into a panic if he wasn’t stopped now. “She’s right, Steve. She’s _only_ nine weeks pregnant. Darcy, and you two, have plenty of time to get the ball rolling on the things you need. Not to mention, it will still be some time before the babies will be able to move around on their own. So take a breath, it’ll be okay, guys.”

 

Bucky studied his boyfriends face, heart sinking when he saw that it was more than just nerves making Steve panic. 

 

Steve was a martyr at heart, always heaving around a guilty conscious despite how many times he had been forgiven or told it wasn’t his fault. He still cried out Bucky’s name in his sleep, reliving the moment Bucky fell from the train over and over again. Steve’s heart and mind would tell him that all of his past mistakes would be broadcasted in front of their kids, that he wouldn’t be _good enough_ to be their dad.

 

Bucky had an idea what that last bit felt like.

 

While he wasn’t as self sacrificing as Steve, Bucky knew what it was like to carry guilt around like dead weight on your shoulders. Bucky was the _Winter Soldier_ for 70 years. His mind was warped and stolen from him and he was turned into a _machine_ who didn’t even recognize himself as human. The blood on his hands? Bucky cringed to think about it. 

 

And now he was going to be a _dad._

 

How could he be a father? Bucky wanted to be a dad, _more than anything_ , but all the bodies in his wake and the blood on his hands? He didn’t deserve it. 

 

Darcy was a civilian that got tangled up in a world full of supers. Sure, day to day she knew what the risks were being associated with the avengers, but Bucky bet she sure as hell didn’t sign up to _have their kids_.

 

Dread tore through Bucky’s stomach at the thought. There had always been a target on Darcy’s back ever since Thor landed in front of Jane’s van, but now there was so much more at risk.

 

Bucky reached out and grabbed Steve’s arm, squeezing so Steve would meet his eye. Years of living in each others’ pockets and loving one another let Bucky tell Steve all of his worries with just a look. Steve’s eyes widened and his shoulders tensed before he sagged in defeat. He intertwined his fingers with Bucky’s, letting him know that he understood.

 

Feeling Darcy’s eyes on them, Bucky looked up to meet their girl’s gaze.

 

“You guys are doing the whole man-pain angst thing, aren’t you?”

 

Bucky had to chuckle at that, Darcy just seemed to hit the nail on the head. “Maybe a bit, doll.”

 

Darcy just rolled her eyes and hopped off the table, then took the couple steps necessary so that she stood in front of her two super-soldiers. Bruce very quietly slipped out of the room, knowing that things were going to get more family-oriented and private.

 

“Whatever is going on in your heads that’s making you guys feel guilty, or unworthy,” Darcy cut a glare at Steve and Bucky respectively, knowing them too damn well to let them deny her, “I’m going to tell you now to _stop it._ Did things just get a whole lot more complicated? Hell, yes, they did.”

 

She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath in before she continued, eyes shining when they were open once more. “But we’re _together_ , and that’s amazing and beautiful and makes me so damn _happy_ that I’ll be damned if I let you two stew in whatever emotional crap you’ve got going on. It’s not that I don’t understand where you’re coming from, I _do_ , but we’re having _twins._ Our priorities need to change and they need to change now. We’re a family.”

 

If there were dopey smiles and teary eyes all around, no one said anything.

 

~

 

Though she would deny it at first, FRIDAY definitely a picture of the three huddled around the image from the ultrasound, capturing their teary smiles. She could see a lovely moment just as well as anyone else could, and she had the means to save it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay in updates! got on a roll with Wee Little Stark, but I promise I haven't abandoned this!

When Darcy was five months pregnant, all hell broke loose.

 

She should have seen it coming, really, the past three months having been easygoing; filled with romantic dates and steamy nights with her guys, wrangling her Scientists Three in the labs and assisting the amazing Pepper Potts with any HR disasters that the Avengers got. All in all, it was a great three months.

 

Then her belly “popped.” It was as if overnight, Darcy was _finally_ looking like she had the belly for the set of twins she was carrying, rather than just an unfortunate ‘food baby’ that she was able to hide with her baggy sweaters. The once huge and comfy shirts were now getting a bit _snug_ on Darcy’s tummy, much to her dismay. She could have lived with that, _honestly_ , seeing as she was carrying twins and she knew she was going to get big, but it was everyone’s reactions to her new belly that pissed her off.

 

“What do you mean, _I can’t come in the labs?!”_ Darcy tried to reign in her racing heart, but she was too damn angry to monitor her blood pressure at the moment.

 

“We’re sorry, Darce, but it’s not safe for the babies, or _you_ , in here anymore! There’s so many things that can go wrong!” Jane was pleading with Darcy, using what Darcy called her ‘Bambi eyes’ that made you feel like you had a knife in your chest when you looked at her.

 

Hoping to find some sanity from her trio of wayward scientists, Darcy looked over to Bruce. _Yup, that was a mistake_. 

 

If anything, Bruce looked even more pleading than Jane as he did one hell of a Puss In Boots impression. 

 

“She’s right, Darcy. Between my experiments, Jane’s machinery, and Tony’s explosions—”

 

“Oh come _on,_ there’s not _that_ many!” Tony huffed indignantly at his fellow science-bro, but Darcy noticed he still didn’t move out of Darcy’s way and let her into the lab.

 

“—there’s too many risks for you and the babies to be in here all day.”

 

Darcy could feel her firm grip on her emotions start to slacken as she saw the determination on her friends’ faces. They certainly weren’t going to budge on this.

 

She hated herself a little bit as her voice wobbled with tears as she asked the trio, “But, what am I supposed to _do?”_ Darcy froze as she realized that if she couldn’t wrangle the Scientists Three, she didn’t have a job anymore.

 

All at once, she was rambling and crying, a moment from hyperventilating.

 

“Oh my god, I’m not good at anything else! What am I supposed to do, now? I’m just your lab-monkey that makes sure you’re fed and watered, I’m _nobody important_ and—and—”

 

There were suddenly three pairs of arms wrapped around her and three voices murmuring comforting words to a sobbing Darcy. _Goddamn pregnancy hormones._ It took a good five minutes, but Darcy was finally able to calm down her emotions and (sort of) pull herself together, smiling at her friends in thanks. She was still unemployed, but Darcy pushed that thought to the back of her mind as Jane suggested they get ice cream from the kitchen.

 

So distracted by her now grumbling stomach, Darcy didn’t see the silent exchange between Tony and Bruce.

 

XxX

 

Pepper was _thrilled_ that Darcy was having babies. She didn’t really have any desire to have children of her own, but Pepper did love kids. And if she now had an excuse to dabble in that muted maternal instinct and buy Darcy’s kids anything they needed? Well, that was between her and Tony’s credit card.

 

She smiled as she thought of her husband. Earlier that day he and Bruce had came into Pepper’s office and asked about offering Darcy a better (read: _safer)_ job that she would enjoy. Truly, Bruce actually _asked_ while Tony tried to veil all of his caring emotions with sarcasm and deflection, but Pepper knew him far too well for that to work.

 

She didn’t tell the men that she had been creating a position for Darcy for weeks now, unable to bring herself to rain on their parade when they were so pleased with themselves for ‘coming up with’ the idea. 

 

Darcy’s proficiency with computers and social media, as well as her no-nonsense attitude when it came to dealing with Avengers’ shenanigans resulted in Pepper in creating a PR position for the self proclaimed Scientist Wrangler. The younger woman’s abilities to handle the three half-mad scientists led Pepper to believe that Darcy could handle the Avengers with ease.

 

Now, she just had to get Darcy to accept the job.

 

FRIDAY informed Pepper that Darcy was in the facility’s residential kitchen making lunch for her wayward scientists, determined to make sure they ate even if she was no longer permitted in the labs. The amazing smell of homemade mac n cheese made Pepper’s own stomach growl, alerting Darcy to her presence.

 

“Hey, Pepper! You hungry? I made enough for the team, or a small third world country. Whichever form of measurement you prefer.”

 

Laughing, Pepper took a seat at the kitchen counter across from where Darcy moved from pot to pot, stirring and adding cheese to each as she went.

 

“I’d love some. I also have something for you, Darcy.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“Yes. How would you like to be the Avengers’ PR Manager?”

 

There was a dropped pot, a cheese explosion, and a lot of swearing before Darcy got her wits back together.

 

“Wait, _what?”_

 

Pepper tried not to laugh at the scene in front of her, but it was difficult. Darcy had pieces of cheese covered macaroni on one half of her face and body, eyes wide behind her glasses and hair falling from her messy bun. _Frazzled_ , that was a good word for Darcy right now. Definitely frazzled.

 

“You already help me with HR, I thought perhaps you’d like a more permanent position that gave you a more direct role in the Avengers’ public outings. And their aftermath, of course.” Pepper raised her hand as Darcy’s mouth opened to protest, speaking over the young woman. “Your understanding of social media and changing trends in our culture today will be a _momentous_ help to keeping a good light on our heroes, not to mention your understanding of Political Science. Any political minefields we need toavoid or navigate around you would have great insight about. Most importantly, the team _loves_ you, and respects you. They listen to you and value your opinions. You’re the best candidate, Darcy.”

 

Darcy’s eyes glazed over a bit as Pepper spoke, but what others would have assumed was inattention Pepper knew that Darcy was sorting through the information, and making a pro and con list in her head. Tony got the same look when he was working on a difficult problem. Knowing she would simply have to wait for Darcy to come out of her haze, Pepper stood and helped herself to a bowl of mac n cheese. It wasn’t until Pepper had finished her food (which, okay, wasn’t _that_ long because she was _starving_ ) that Darcy spoke.

 

“Hell, yes. Let’s do this.”

 

XxX

 

Despite Darcy’s words of reassurance, Bucky (and Steve) still felt far too inadequate to be someone’s Pa. He was bloodied and his soul was marred with sin and he was in no position to be a good influence on _anyone_. 

 

He was sitting in the common room with Steve, who also had a brooding expression on his face, when Scott waltzed in and plopped himself unceremoniously on the couch across from them.

 

“Wow, you guys are having some serious _angst_ here. Talk about man-pain.”

 

Bucky just rolled his eyes in time with Steve, not bothering to answer the snarky bastard.

 

“Right. Good talk. So, since you guys aren’t going to say anything, continue to be moody and silent while I talk at you and hope the words stick, okay? Okay. _Great._ Here goes:

 

“Get over your shit, guys. _Seriously_. You think you’re the only assholes who freak out at the idea at being a dad? Well, I got news for you guys: _it doesn’t stop_. I freak out about being Cassie’s dad every damn day!

 

“I know, I know, you guys are going all _‘Well, Scott, you’re not the Winter Assassin or Captain Spangly Pants,’”_ here he had taken on a deep voice, which Bucky assumed was supposed to be an impersonation of either him or Steve, “so _obviously_ , I must not have _any_ idea what you’re going through. WRONG!

 

“I was a thief. I went to jail because I stole some shit—”

 

“Thought you were just a whistle-blower?” Bucky couldn’t help the sly comment.

 

“— _shut up,_ Barnes. So yeah, I was, and _am_ a criminal, but my little girl still thinks I’m fuckin’ awesome. She knows how I was a ‘bad man’ but now I’m an _Avenger_. 

 

“So get over yourselves. There’s blood on your hands and enemies over your shoulders, but your kids are still going to think the sun shines out of your asses.”

 

Bucky turned to Steve with his eyebrow raised in shock, meeting Steve’sbemused expression with his own. Before either soldier could say anything, let alone a _thanks_ for giving them both the kick in the pants they needed, Scott broke the moment. 

 

“Ah, awesome. _Bonding_. We totally just had a bonding moment, didn’t we? _Super.”_ He slapped his hands on his knees, an awkward smile on his face as he shot to his feet half a second later and fleeing to the door and hallway beyond.

 

Steve let out a soft chuckle, “He’s a weird son of a bitch, but I like him.”

 

Bucky couldn’t help but agree.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update! i've been having some writer's block with my three fics, so it's been slow going.
> 
> hope you guys are still enjoying it and haven given up on me yet!
> 
> thanks for all the love :)

It was three days later that all hell broke loose, _again._

 

_“No.”_

 

“Come, on, Darcy, it’ll be fun!” Jane wheedled. 

 

“I don’t want a baby shower, Jane!”

 

“But—”

 

“ _Nope!_ Not doing it!”

 

Jane just groaned loudly, running her hands through her hair in exasperation. Darcy just continued to drink her weird high-calorie protein shake for the super babies and raised her eyebrow in challenge to her best friend.

 

She was _not_ having a baby shower.

 

Darcy just didn’t see the point. She made plenty of money from wrangling wayward scientists and even more as the Avengers PR manager. She didn’t _need_ people to buy things for her. Besides, it’s not like they need a reason to shower her with gifts, anyways.

 

Tony was constantly finding creative new ways to baby-proof things and programming new security protocols in FRIDAY,as well as hiring contractors to build a bigger apartment with a nursery for Darcy, her guys, and the babies. Pepper had taken it upon herself to take Darcy shopping every step of the way of her pregnancy to make sure she had the most stylish maternity clothes available. She didn’t even seem to care that Darcy still spent most of her time in the facility wearing Bucky’s large henley’s or Steve’s old man cardigans with leggings, she just wanted Darcy to _have_ them.

 

Clint, Scott, and Sam had taken it upon themselves to start a toy collection for the new babies (aka they grabbed all the Avengers merchandise that they could find). Natasha helped amp up security of the facility and often left Widow’s bites or new kinds of tasers that she helped design in Darcy’s apartment for her to find. 

 

Jane and Vision began creating a library for the super babies (even though there was a _long_ long time before they could read), all science subjects, of course. Thor said he would tell the babes ‘stories of past won wars and the glory of Asgard’ that made Darcy a _bit_ apprehensive. 

 

Then there was Bruce. He was already her lovely doctor, but he also took up the mantle of nutritionist for Darcy. There were always pregnancy-approved cookbooks and ingredients in the kitchen. As a whole, the Avengers had never been so healthy. 

 

Wanda and Pietro didn’t have much to offer seeing as they were only just now earning money of their own as Avengers, but the twins were excited to have babies in the facility in the near future. Pietro was a surprising helper to Bruce with the cooking, adding their mother’s favorite Sokovian dishes to the mix of ‘super-baby-approved’ meals. Wanda began knitting, shyly presenting Darcy with small baby blankets, hats and booties, and the like that nearly brought Darcy to tears. They were so soft and delicate, and it was very clear that Wanda had worked hard on every piece.

 

Darcy loved all of her wayward heroes and scientists, really. They made her heart swell with affection and a sense of _family_ that she had never felt before, and she would do anything for them. But they wanted a goddamn _baby shower._

 

It was awkward, okay? How was she supposed to sit there and hear them talk about the how great of a mom she would be when the very thought kept her up at night? Darcy didn’t need the stress of everyone ‘celebrating’ her pregnancy when she never had a mother of her own.

 

Her mother had died in childbirth, so Darcy was given to her next of kin. She was raised by Grandma Lewis until she was four, then spent the next fourteen years in and out of orphanages and foster homes until she was able to be on her own at the ripe age of eighteen. Thankfully, Darcy was secretly kind of a genius and had skipped a lot of grades and had a few years of independence to get some cash together before taking a crack at full-time college. She had taken several college courses alongside her high school career (however short it was), so she only needed a year to complete her degree at Culver. 

 

Then she found Jane, and the rest just spiraled beautifully out of control since then. 

 

Norse gods falling out of the sky? Eh, no problem. Avengers and Dark Elves and Hydra and Ultron? Why not?

 

Baby shower? _Hell. No._

 

Darcy looked to Steve and Bucky, hoping that they’d have some moral support for her while Jane, Pepper, and Natasha raged at the injustice of not having a baby shower. 

 

_Nope. There’s the double set of sad Bambi eyes. Dammit._

 

_“Fine!_ Fine. You guys can throw me a friggin’ baby shower, just stop giving me the ‘kicked puppy’ look.” She ran a hand over her face, grunting in frustration when she dislodged her glasses. _Rookie move,_ she grumbled internally. Then she groaned aloud when she saw the matching looks of concern on her guys’ faces, _knowing_ that they were going to ‘talk out their feelings’ later. 

 

Before everyone got carried away with party planning, FRIDAY did the equivalent of a throat clear.

 

_“Dr. Foster, Mr. Ian Boothby is in the lab waiting for you.”_

 

Jane’s face scrunched up adorably, “Why is he here? I thought he decided to stay in London for his fellowship or whatever?”

 

_“He called you several days ago to inform you that his fellowship was concluded and that he’d like a job if you had one available. You hired him, seeing as Miss Lewis could no longer work in the labs.”_ Darcy chuckled at the AI’s exasperated tone, and before anyone could ask FRIDAY went ahead and played the phone call between Jane and Ian that confirmed her story.

 

“Janie, you seriously need to stop answering your phone when you’re half asleep.” Darcy rolled her eyes at her best friend and braced herself for the awkward that was about to go down.

 

She and Ian had a good time together in London after the Elves fiasco, but it had taken a few months and a handful of terribly awkward conversations to make it clear to the guy that she wasn’t really _interested_ in anything long-term or serious. Eventually, Ian understood, but he still pined for her long after she left with Jane to come back to the States. There was a mess of unanswered text messages from Ian still on Darcy’s phone. He was innocent enough, always polite and never pervy, just sending small messages about his day and asking about hers, he just _wouldn’t stop._ Darcy never replied, not wanting to encourage the poor guy. 

 

She couldn’t blame him, honestly. He was just supposed to be an intern to a genius astrophysicist but got caught up in intergalactic shenanigans and aliens. _Gee, that sounds familiar, doesn’t it?_ Whereas Darcy had Jane to hold onto after New Mexico, Ian tried to hold onto her. She didn’t regret their time together, but she _did_ kind of wish she was more upfront with him when they first got involved.

 

As if she was just now remembering everything that went down with Ian (which was probably _true_ , now that Darcy thought about it), Jane gasped in realization and slapped her hand to her forehead.

 

“Shit, Darcy, I am _so_ sorry! I can make him leave if it’s going to be weird…?”

 

“No, it’s okay, Jane. He’s qualified and was in the middle of the Convergence with us, he deserves a shot as your assistant.”

 

Steve and Bucky had identical looks of determination on their faces as they came to stand at her side, both fully aware of Ian’s affections for Darcy. She rolled her eyes at them and their posturing but squeezed their hands in thanks anyways. 

 

“Besides, I’m _very_ happy where I am, and Ian is certainly not dumb or desperate enough to mess with this.”

 

Bucky’s chest puffed out in pride while Steve stood a bit straighter, both of them beaming at her words of love. Smacking them both with the back of her hands, Darcy rolled her eyes and began to make her way to the elevator.

 

“Come on, guys, let’s all go down and scare the shit out of Ian. He’s always wanted to meet all of the Avengers.”

 

xXx

 

_Oh, this is_ too _good,_ Tony thought as he stood at the edge of the group that was loitering around Foster’s lab. Well, loitering _threateningly_ would probably be more accurate.

 

Everyone had their ‘resting hero bitch faces’ on, as Darcy liked to call it, as they each took turns shaking hands with Ian and introduced themselves. Even Tony was posturing with the rest of them, if only for shits and giggles.

 

The younger guy’s face had flickered from hope to confusion to anger and back to hope when Darcy entered the lab, her very pregnant belly leading the way. Clearly, Ian the Intern had thought there was a small chance that the babies might be _his._ Darcy had seen the expression on his face and was quick to shut that down _fast_.

 

“Nope, not yours Ian. It’s literally _impossible_ for the kids to be yours, the math doesn’t add up at _all.”_

 

The expression on Ian’s face when Darcy introduced Captain America and the Winter Soldier as her _boyfriends?_ Priceless.

 

Okay, so Tony did feel a little bit for Ian, seeing as he was clearly smitten with their Darcy, but he couldn’t care too much because he was focusing on the creepy look in his eye when he thought no one was looking.

 

Envy? Probably. Regardless, Tony was going to keep his eye on Ian for the time being. 

 

It was when Darcy was seven months pregnant that Tony realized he failed Darcy, when she and Ian went to pick up dinner in town and never came back. 

 

There was an encrypted message that came through the facility’s serves six hours after Darcy went missing.

 

_Hail Hydra._

 

 

xXx

 

Darcy really shouldn’t have been surprised that Hydra had her in their sights, but she _was_ surprised that it was Ian of all people who placed her in their dirty hands.

 

The team was coming back from a rough mission, FRIDAY informing her that her guys and the rest of the team was only a couple hours out from the Facility. It was one of those rare missions that _every_ Avenger was needed, that the threat was big enough to warrant the entire team. They were all okay, minor injuries aside, but just exhausted and in need of the comfort of home. Darcy decided that some comfort food from their favorite burger place in the nearest town was just the thing for her wayward heroes.

 

Shuffling from her office across from the labs (they could kick her out, but she’d be damned before they cut her off from Jane’s well being completely) and knocked on the glass wall to get someone’s attention. 

 

Jane was snoring away on an open notebook, her drool spreading the ink around the page. Thankfully, Ian was still up and about and walked out into the hallway so they wouldn’t have to shout through the glass.

 

“What’s goin’ on, Darcy?”

 

“You’re coming with me to get burgers for everyone!” his wane expression was no match for Darcy’s enthusiasm, but she continued anyways. “They’re on the way back, but FRIDAY said things were rough for them so I want to get them comfort food. And seeing as I’m as big as a house right now, I need some help carrying a million burgers for all our Avengers. Please?”

 

Sighing, Ian reluctantly agreed. “Fine, I could do with some fresh air myself. Just let me get my coat.”

 

Then there was the short walk to the Facility garage, a helping hand into the SUV, a quick drive off the premises, then darkness.

 

Darcy woke up on a couch in what looked like your standard bad-guy-warehouse of evildoing. Okay, so she was guessing, but it looked like every shady bad guy hidey-hole she had ever seen on TV or from glimpses at SHIELD files. There were temporary walls placed around the open space to give the illusion of privacy, but they looked like pieces of plywood more than anything. She _was_ thankful that she woke up on a couch rather than a rickety chair or on the concrete floor. Being seven months pregnant with super baby twins was hell on her body.

 

At the thought of her babies, Darcy curled around her protruding stomach as much as she could, as if her small arms could protect them from whoever had ordered her capture.

 

Raised voices echoed from one of the ‘rooms’ down the ‘hall,’ the lack of ceilings letting their words find Darcy with ease.

 

“You _promised_ me ten million dollars! I brought her here, now where’s my money?” Ugh, _Ian._ Of course he did it for money. But didn’t he know that ten million wasn’t really that much these days? _…Maybe I spend too much time around Tony._

 

“Do shut up now, Mr. Boothby. You brought their whore to us, isn’t it satisfaction enough that the woman who broke your heart,” this man’s German accent was especially disdainful as he sneered at the phrase, mocking Ian for his motive, “is in the hands of their enemies?”

 

“Well, _yes,_ but—”

 

“ _But_ nothing, Mr. Boothby. You did your part, beautifully, but your role here is done.”

 

“No, no, please!”

 

**_BANG!_ **

 

Darcy covered her mouth with her hands to prevent herself from screaming as she heard Ian’s body slump to the floor, the gunshot still echoing in her ears. Quickly, other footsteps were heard, Darcy assuming that they were going to take Ian’s body away and clean up the murder.

 

“Such messy business,” the man sighed, sounding _bored._ His footsteps began to sound out against the empty warehouse, coming closer and closer to Darcy’s corner until she could hear him on the other side of the thin wall. 

 

He began speaking before she could see his face, obviously trying to build the tension and Darcy’s fear.

 

“Now, Miss Lewis, I suppose you’re wondering why you’re here?”

 

Despite the horror of the situation, Darcy scoffed.

 

“Uh, no, I’m pretty sure I’ve figured it out myself.”

 

“Hmm. Very good. That saves me the trouble of dragging this out.”

 

Darcy didn’t bother to smother her scream as the man turned the corner and entered her room. 

 

“Ah, so you do recognize me. But, it would be rude of me to not formally introduce myself. My name is Johann Schmidt, Miss Lewis, but you may know me as Red Skull.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um...i honestly have NO idea where Red Skull came from? Like i was trying to think of a villain etc and then suddenly, boom. Red Skull. I guess it could happen seeing as he got disappeared by the tesseract in Captain America, but I have no clue as to how i plan on bringing him back.
> 
> bear with me!
> 
> edited notes: i finished the next chapter, so the baby-debate is closed!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woo! on a roll today! each fic was updated with a chapter and this one gets TWO!
> 
> also, the sex of the babies has been decided (i kind of counted the comment-votes and made a decision) so if you're not happy with the outcome, please don't get mean about it.

_Two weeks,_ it had been two goddamn weeks since Darcy was taken, and Bucky was at the end of his rope. He couldn’t even take his rage out on Ian, seeing as the intern’s body was dumped in the center of town like yesterday’s trash. 

 

Shame, really, he wanted the honor of choking the life out of Ian for himself.

 

Bucky stood in the newly finished nursery that was part of Tony’s baby shower gift to them all in an attempt to ‘keep hope alive,’ like Sam told him to, so he could ‘remember what they were fighting for.’ _As if I could forget._

 

The walls were a light blue-green, a dark green tree with Nordic looking swirls on the wall between the two cribs. Two empty cribs, one lined with hot pink blankets and the other with bright blue, both filled with small Avengers teddy bears. _So the kids know they’re protected,_ Darcy had said, her smile blinding.

 

Darcy had gone back and forth about knowing the sex of the babies for _months_ , demanding that Bruce tell them but then silencing him the second he opened his mouth. Finally Bruce got fed up with the indecision after her six month ultrasound and handed her a sealed envelope, telling her to open it whenever she was ready. Steve and Bucky were happy to wait and would be equally happy to learn of the sex now, but mostly they just wanted _Darcy_ to be happy. 

 

Neither of the men cared about the gender of the babies, so they were surprised when they learned that it was Darcy who was terrified about the possibility of having one or two daughters. It took some coaxing from them, but eventually they got it out of their girl.

 

“I didn’t have a mom! I only had grandma, and she was gone before I could even understand what it _meant_ to have a mother-figure in your life. Then I was in the system. The only women there were shrewd ladies who took care of the homes or temporary foster moms. Nothing permanent.” Darcy’s breath caught, and her guys were quick to surround her in a hug.

 

“I’m such a _mess_ , I barely survived being a little girl, let alone a teenager. How am I supposed to be a little girl’s _mom?”_

 

“Don’t you _ever_ talk down about yourself like that, sweetheart.” Steve’s tone was fierce but quiet, soothing Darcy while making sure she listened to what he had to say. “You are _so smart_ , and beautiful, and an amazing woman. You put yourself through high school and college _simultaneously_ , then earned enough money on your own to afford college to finish your degree. Not everybody could do that, sweetheart.”

 

“He’s right,” Bucky continued, “not only did you do all _that,_ you then went and helped Jane in New Mexico. You took care of her, protected her, and helped her build that bridge when she wanted to give up. I bet your best friend has some things to say about how amazing you are, doll.”

 

Darcy kept her face down, rubbing her tears from her eyes under his glasses and sniffling into Steve’s chest. She was still upset, but Bucky could tell from the tension easing from her body that she was starting the believe them. It would be slow going, and they’d undoubtedly have to have this talk many more times, but it seemed that for now Darcy was listening to them. With a deep breath and shaky fingers, Darcy began opening the envelope that Bruce gave her.

 

Neither Bucky nor Steve said anything, knowing that she’d only second-guess herself and worry more if they asked if she was sure. So with baited breath the two soldiers watched Darcy unfold the paper and squint at Bruce’s messy scrawl.

 

“We’re having one of each,” Darcy laughed, “A baby girl and a baby boy!”

 

There were plenty of tears and laughter, the family holding each other close as their minds raced with the possibilities of that the future held. 

 

Of course, Bucky had been chuckling to himself of the hijinks Tony would pull at the baby-shower planned for the next week, not thinking of the possibility of Darcy being taken from him just a month later. 

 

Bucky’s heart clenched when he brought his focus back to the present, seeing the empty nursery in front of him. Darcy, in those few short weeks between its completion and her abduction, had taken to sitting in the nursery, wanting it ‘to feel lived in’ when the babies came. There was some unfinished knitting project on the rocking chair in the corner, a mess of red, white, and blue that looked more like a massive knot than anything. Clearly, the knitting should be left to Wanda.

 

 

_Thank the gods for Wanda,_ Bucky thought. While whoever had Darcy was preventing the witch from _finding_ Darcy, she was still able to sense her ‘life-force’ or whatever and tell them all that Darcy was alive.

 

Safe? Unsure. Uninjured? No idea.

 

But she was alive, and that was all that was holding them together now. 

 

xXx

 

Steve was taking apart punching bag after punching bag in the Facility gym, ignoring Sam’s sad _‘come on let’s talk about it’_ puppy eyes he felt on his back. 

 

_Three weeks._ Three weeks with no sign of Darcy and the babies, three weeks of no leads and nothing but Ian’s body found outside their favorite diner in the nearest town. 

 

Bucky spent his spare time away from team in the nursery, keeping it ‘lived in’ for Darcy, or at the shooting range with Clint to perfect his already perfect shot.

 

Steve _couldn’t_ go into the nursery, it broke his heart too much to see it without Darcy in there. He knew that Darcy was alive, that much Wanda had told him, but there was also _something_ that he could feel in his bones that let him know she was alive. It was the same feeling that led him halfway around the world chasing after the Winter Soldier, _knowing_ that Bucky was still in there under the Hydra programming. 

 

So Steve split his spare time between the Facility gym and the ‘War Room,’ working with FRIDAY to chase down the smallest hint of a lead. At night, he’d drag Bucky from the nursery and together they’d fall asleep, aching at the empty spot in their bed as well as their hearts. 

 

Steve smirked, despite the sadness he felt. Darcy was a wild sleeper, always flailing her limbs and mumbling in her sleep. He and Bucky were never sure _how_ she moved so much with her big belly without them noticing, but there was more than one occasion that they woke up with Darcy’s feet where her head should be, or their girl laying completely horizontal over their chests and stomachs. It was always a feat of acrobatics to get out of the bed in the morning, but it never failed to make any of them smile. 

 

But Darcy was still missing, probably scared out of her mind for herself and the babies. Steve’s fear and rage were almost tangible things when he thought about them, his strength getting the best of him when he tore down another punching bag. 

 

“ _Whoa_ , there Cap. That’s fifteen this week.” Sam’s voice was teasing, but his concern was layered underneath.

 

Steve blinked, taking a moment before realizing that the felled bag was from the present moment, not one from his memories. His shoulder sagged in defeat as sand poured around his feet, unable to care about the mess he was making. 

 

Sam’s hand on his shoulder made him raise his head to meet his friend’s gaze.

 

“This has gotta _stop_ , Steve.”

 

“I know, but what else _can_ I do, Sam? We’ve got no leads, no witnesses, _nothing!”_ He opened his mouth to rage some more at the universe, about how goddamn unfair it was that they were taking this from his family, that they would _dare_ to hurt Darcy, but nothing came out. Instead his throat choked on his words with nothing more than a few huffs of air passing his lips.

 

It was his loss of words that were his undoing, tears falling hard and fast down his face as he slammed to his knees on the ground. Steve’s sobs were silent, but the wracked his body violently. He didn’t know how long he sat there until Sam’s gentle arms around him were replaced with stronger and more familiar ones, the cold metal of one seeping through his shirt and soothing him.

 

“Stevie, it’ll be okay, we’ll get her and the babies back. She knows we’re coming for them, Stevie.” Bucky’s voice was rough with tears as well, but Steve knew that he would refuse to let them fall. He had shed the last of his tears when Steve brought him in from the cold and back to the Facility, swearing that Hydra wouldn’t get another damn drop of anything from him, tears, sweat, or blood. 

 

Steve clutched to Bucky, his rock and foundation, as he sobbed enough for the both of them on the sandy gym floor. It was nearly an hour later when FRIDAY’s voice chimed in.

 

_“Sirs? It appears that Agent Coulson has a solid lead.”_

 

Like a shot both soldiers were on their feet and running to the War Room, Bucky smirking at Steve all the while.

 

“I _told_ you, punk! We’ll get her back, just you see.”

 

xXx

 

As far as being a prisoner went, Darcy supposed it wasn’t the _worse_ set up out there. She was still terrified, of course, nearly shaking every minute of every day in fear of Schmidt and his minions.

 

They didn’t hurt her or the babies which was a blessing, but Darcy figured the Red Skull had nefarious plans for the babies though. Darcy spent a whole day in the corner of her cell dry heaving as her mind spiraled out of control as she thought of worst case scenarios. 

 

Schmidt _was_ pumping her full of something, some type of drug or who knows what that made Darcy’s small body wrack with sobs when she thought about what affects they could be having on her babies. Screw whatever they did to her, but her babies needed to be _safe._ Darcy couldn’t even attempt to eavesdrop to figure out what they were doing to her seeing as all the minions spoke German and their English was nonexistent. _So much for high school Spanish._

 

Darcy had been Red Skull’s prisoner for almost four weeks at that point but she didn’t lose hope for her guys and the rest of the Avengers to come and get her. If Red Skull was ‘back from the dead’ or wherever he went when the Tesseract whisked him away, she had to assume that he had more tricks up his sleeves for how he was concealing their location. 

 

Her worry continued to grow the longer she was kept and neared the eight-month marker of her pregnancy. If whatever Red Skull wanted had anything to do with the super babies, Darcy didn’t have much longer to keep them safe. Bruce had told her that since she was carrying twins (and very _large_ super-baby twins at that), it would be likely that she would go into labor early. 

 

_Please,_ she begged the air around her, _let them find me soon. I don’t care about me, but let the babies be safe._

 

As if the universe had answered her prayers, a small movement from the corner of her eye grabbed her attention. It was only months and months of prank wars with the Avengers that led her to recognize the tiny speck of red that was Ant-Man.

 

With a jolt Scott was suddenly in front of her, hands on his hips in a goofy super-hero pose.

 

“You never thought Ant-Man would save the day, didja?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't worry, we're not done with Red Skull just yet, I just didn't want Darcy and the babies spending more time as his prisoner. 
> 
>  
> 
> ~plot developing in the background~  
> ....hopefully.
> 
> oh! fun stuff:  
> imagine the nursery looks something like this but bigger and there's blue stuff there too: 
> 
> http://a.dilcdn.com/bl/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2011/6/bright-playful.jpg
> 
> avengers bears!
> 
> http://41.media.tumblr.com/1b6b1e28cd3ffe0e4560e40c6b542643/tumblr_n2nsgaddJk1shv6fso1_1280.jpg
> 
> https://secure.static.tumblr.com/cd39d94442be5913b9f3e74eca0dedc4/z9isit9/C8jmsizfz/tumblr_static_stevetonybears2.jpg


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm on a roll, people :) hope you're still liking it.

Hydra’s goons didn’t stand a chance against twelve Avengers out for blood. Natasha took in the battle in front of her with nothing more than a quirked brow as she incapacitated a man who tried to sneak behind Clint up in the rafters. 

 

Well, incapacitated was a _nice_ word. ‘Put a bullet through his throat’ was more accurate but it didn’t roll of the tongue as nicely.

 

The smallest amount of tension leaked from Natasha’s shoulders as Scott’s voice came over the comms, _“I’ve got Darcy! She and the nuggets look okay, a bit hungry but I cant see anything else immediately wrong with her.”_

 

As one, every Avenger fought even more brutally so that the battle could be done and they could see Darcy safe for themselves. Within a blink of an eye, every goon was either dead or unconscious on the ground at their feet. Steve was about to direct them all to start wrangling up the Hydra operatives when an eerie voice came from the catwalk overhead.

 

“Oh, Captain, marvelous job as usual.”

 

Natasha had never seen Steve so pale, nor had she ever seen Bucky’s hands shake. Turning slowly, Natasha braced herself for whoever was behind her. 

 

She sucked in a shocked breath through her teeth that was echoed by her team as she saw Red Skull, of all people, grinning manically at them all from his perch.

 

Thankfully, Natasha’s instincts had her acting within a fraction of a second. She emptied her clip into Schmidt as she yelled to her teammates. “Sam, Wanda, Pietro! Cover Scott and Darcy!”

 

Her actions seemed to shake everyone out of their shock, guns being fired and weapons flying at Red Skull who dodged and deflected the projectiles like they were _nothing_. The madman just cackled at them, jumping from the catwalk and landing several yards from Steve and Bucky. 

 

“How are you _alive?_ I watched you die, Schmidt!” Steve, thankfully, stayed his ground as he yelled at Red Skull, Bucky as his side analyzing the situation.

 

“Foolish man,” Schmidt laughed, “I did not _die_ , I was _transported!_ Thrown through the universe faster than I could comprehend, but alive all the same.”

 

At the sidelines, Natasha communicated silently with Vision, Clint, Thor, and Tony about how to handle the situation. She had to stifle her scream of frustration when Thor and Tony kept signaling something along the lines of _‘let’s just run in there and fuck shit up with our weapons!’_ They were brilliant fighters, but horrible tacticians when their emotions buoyed them through battle. While they continued to argue and keep a weather eye on Red Skull, the madman continued to speak.

 

“I learned _so much_ when I was away, Captain Rogers, seventy years of advanced knowledge and technology that you could _never_ imagine!”

 

Tony, apparently, couldn’t help but to be a smartass. “Well, we are buddies with the Crown Prince of Asgard here, we’ve seen some of their cool doodads.”

 

He was ignored by everyone, save for Clint who snickered, just as Natasha expected. 

 

“What did you want with Darcy and the babies?” Bucky demanded.

 

“I think the better question is what I _want_ with them, Soldier.”

 

Natasha watched as Schmidt pressed a button on some device on his wristand disappeared in a shimmer of blue to parts unknown. Everyone stood in silence for another few moments until Scott’s voice once again broke over their comms.

 

_“Guys? Is the bad guy gone yet or should we stay in here?”_

 

xXx

 

Tony paced the hallway outside the lab as Bruce worked up a full exam on Darcy and the super-babies. They had all seen the track marks on her arms and the discarded needles in the warehouse, but no one was sure what they were dosing her with, let alone what affect it would have on the babies. Tony was filled with rage that Darcy and her kids were put at risk like that, for some madman’s own twisted plans and desires. 

 

Tony had surprised them all when he was the first one to bust through the door that his teammates were guarding and pull Darcy into his arms. His paternal feelings for the kid had only grown since Darcy had gotten pregnant, but they started long before then. 

 

After the Battle of New York, Thor had asked Tony to bring Jane to the Tower for her safety. Tony couldn’t turn down the guy’s Bambi-eyes or the opportunity to steal another scientist from SHIELD so he agreed whole-heartedly. Darcy, of course, was part of the package deal. 

 

She had taken one look at the labs, a large space spanning a whole floor that was divided into three sections for him, Bruce, and Jane, and immediately went to work organizing it. Within three days, The Wayward Scientists were formed, watered and fed, and had semi-decent sleeping schedules. Tony had taken Darcy under his wing, seeing a bit of himself in the frighteningly intelligent young girl who took care of them so thoroughly. The fact that she helped take care of Pepper when the older woman couldn’t get a break from being CEO was just the icing on the cake. JARVIS had been particularly fond of Darcy as well, a trait that was passed on to Vision.

 

So Tony and Pepper had these pseudo-parental feelings for Darcy, and she was nice enough to let them indulge as well as reciprocate the affections. Seeing Darcy safe, even if she was dirty and had dark circles under her eyes, was nearly enough to break Tony’s heart. Thankfully, he was kept whole when she hugged him back just as fiercely. 

 

Now he watched as Bucky and Steve hovered next to Darcy’s hospital med, each with one hand on her stomach and the other on her shoulders as Bruce drew blood and hooked her up to some IV’s to rehydrate her and give her some nutrients.

 

Darcy’s hands shook slightly with exhaustion, but she refused to close her eyes, keeping them locked on ‘her fellas’ like she couldn’t believe that they were real and in front of her. Her attempts to hide her expression of disbelief tore through Tony’s heart like a serrated blade.

 

If there was _one_ thing out of place with Darcy and the kids, Tony was going to tear Red Skull apart with his bear hands. 

 

xXx

 

Since Darcy’s return everyone had taken to spending their free time together in the common area of the Facility. Like the tower, the common area had a cushy area with sofas and a huge TV, a state of the art kitchen and bar, as well as a gaming area that was full of arcade games and a pool table. The furthest unused corner was slowly being transformed into a play area for the babies once they were big enough to play around with everybody. 

 

Sam could feel the tension in the air as everyone wondered silently what Red Skull had done to Darcy and the kids. Also, where the _hell_ did he come from? It had been about five days since her return and no one had any answers for them. Well, Bruce probably did, but he kept running the blood work over and over again ‘just to triple check that I’m seeing this right.’

 

Today seemed like the day for answers as the good doctor strode into the room and headed directly to the bar, snagging Tony’s scotch from his hand and downing it himself. Sam felt his eyebrows hit his hairline in surprise, knowing that Bruce didn’t drink hard liquor because he liked being completely in control of himself at all times. 

 

“ _Shit,_ I forgot how good that is.” Bruce shook his head as Tony lifted the bottle up from the counter, silently asking his friend if he wanted another drink. “No thanks, I really needed that but one is probably already pushing the boundaries.”

 

Sam was _not okay_ with this shaky and wild-eyed Bruce. “Hey man, you wanna tell us what’s going on?”

 

The older man chuckled, running his hand through his hair in disbelief. Steve, Bucky, and Darcy sat up straighter on one of the couches when Bruce brought his gaze down on them.

 

“You guys are just an anomaly, you know that? We’ve got two super-soldiers who shouldn’t even be _alive_ this day in age, and Darcy carrying their super-baby twins.” Everyone just raised an eyebrow at that, telegraphing to Bruce that this was old news to them all.

 

Seeing their expressions, Bruce chuckled again, “Don’t worry, it gets better. I compared Darcy’s blood to Steve and Bucky’s, as well as her blood from her last check up. Turns out that Darcy was given an extremely diluted form of the super-soldier serum. Not enough to change her visibly, but enough to make her a bit stronger and durable, and giving her metabolism a boost. Other than that, I can’t find anything in her blood that suggests anything damaging to either her or the babies. In fact, it’s probably helping her carry the super-spawns.” He raised his hand to hold off the barrage of questions the room wanted to fire at him, “Wait, _still more._ ”

 

“For the love of god, Bruce, spit it out!” Sam liked to think that he kept his cool at the best of times, but even _he_ might hulk out if Bruce kept the suspense going any longer.

 

“The twins have different fathers.” This was met with dead silence. “Do you want to know which is which?” 

  
Sam looked to the triad, who were all communicating silently via eyebrows and shoulder shrugs before Steve answered. “Uh, sure. I don’t see why not.”

 

Bruce sighed, thankful that he wasn’t going to have to hold onto the information by himself anymore. “Steve, congrats, it’s a boy. Bucky, congrats, it’s a girl.” 

 

There was another silent pause while everyone absorbed the information for few moments. Natasha, surprisingly, was the one who broke it this time.

 

“Stark, break out the good vodka. We’ve got to celebrate the good news.”

 

xXx

 

After everyone had slept off the celebratory hangover the next morning, Tony sat with Darcy in his lab (all experiments shut down for safety) as she played with the ‘bots while he fixed up a GPS bracelet for her.

 

They were _not_ losing her again. This SOB should be just about as good as Heimdall’s gaze, if he had done his coding right. _Which of course I did,_ he scoffed to himself. 

 

Tony couldn’t help but notice that Darcy was more subdued than usual, humming softly instead of outright singing to the bots like she usually did. 

 

“What’s on your mind, kiddo?”

 

Darcy sighed, but a small smile quirked the corner of her lips at the often-used nickname. _Success!_

 

“I don’t know. I’m just worried, I think.”

 

“Hmm, about what?” Tony was polishing the bracelet a final time, making sure that all the grease smudges were gone before he gave it to Darcy. It was a bronze cuff bracelet, an etching of a tree on the front of it since Darcy was so fond of Thor’s tales of Yggdrasil and the Nine Realms. The band was thick, housing the tracking devices that could find Darcy wherever she went. _Thank god she agreed to this, or else this would be crossing SO many lines._

 

“The babies’ due date is coming, and I guess I just wish I had a mom to talk about it with. No one here has had kids except for Scott’s wife, but I don’t know her since she’s never met any of us before. I just feel like this would be a good time to talk to my mom about everything going on, but I don’t have that.”

 

Tony’s heart twinged at Darcy’s admission. “What do you know about your mom?”

 

Darcy smiled at Butterfingers when the robot handed her a hammer that she definitely did not need, but happy to play along with the bot anyways. “Not much,” she said, “I only remember snippets from what my grandma told me when I was little, but I’ve been able to do some research on her. So everything I know isn’t personal, just facts from a page.”

 

“What did you find?”

 

“She was some big computer programmer, one of the first women to advance so far in her field. Worked for Intel as an engineer or something.”

 

A faint bell rang in the back of Tony’s head as Darcy continued to speak. 

 

“Anyways, she helped design the tech so it could be smaller and more durable, all while keeping the memory space large. It’s been a good few years since I’ve looked this stuff up, so I may not be remembering it right.”

 

Tony just hummed in response, the bell getting louder as he searched through his head for memories. _Why was this so damn familiar?_

 

“What was her name?”

 

“Victoria Lewis, but she went by—”

 

_“—Tori, call me Tori. The woman was stunning, deep chestnut hair and a big smile with dark purple painted lips. Her eyes were a slate gray that were almost as mesmerizing as the rest of her. Tony shook her hand, letting his eyes roam over her curvy form. He was_ so _glad he listened to Stane when the older man told him that his convention would be good for him and Stark Industries._

 

_“So, Tori, can I buy you a drink?”_

 

The memory slammed into Tony, making him fall off of his stool in shock. _HOLY FUCK!_

 

“You okay over there, Tony?”

 

_Shit shit shit shit SHIT!_

 

“YUP! I’m super!” Tony cringed in time with Darcy at the obvious lie, scrambling to his feet before Darcy tried to heft herself off her own stool to stand and help him. “I’ve gotta go see Bruce in his lab about a thing and some stuff, talk to you later! Here’s your bracelet, put that on!” 

 

Then Tony bolted. Like a coward.

 

Bruce simply raised a brow at his disheveled state, not even questioning why Tony was rummaging though the lab’s fridge and taking out samples of his and Darcy’s blood. 

 

“I’m going to need you to run this, Bruce. For, uh, for—”

 

Bruce’s eyes snapped back and forth between the samples and Tony’s face before the information seemed to click.

 

“Are you _shitting_ me, Tony?”

 

“Ah, no. I certainly am not, Brucie.” Tony winced as his science bro dropped his head to the table with a loud _thunk_ and a deep groan of exasperation. 

 

“ _Fine_ , Tony, I’ll give you the results later.”

 

Tony fidgeted, wanting the test done _now_.

 

As if hearing his thoughts, Bruce groaned again. “ _Tony!_ I am not going to sit here and run the test while you breathe down my neck! I promise that this is priority, but get the hell out of my lab.”

 

Two hours later Tony was pacing the apartment that he shared with Pepper in the Facility, waiting for a response from Bruce. He told his wife everything and was relieved to hear that Pepper was excited at the possibility, rather than scandalized. She actually said she was more surprised that a kid hadn’t turned up before now, with all his man-whoring days behind him. 

 

Tony tripped over his feet and fell to the ground when he heard a knock at the door, the tentative thumps against the frame letting him know that it was Bruce on the other side. 

 

Rolling her eyes at him, Pepper gracefully stood from the sofa and made her way to the door to let Bruce in. 

 

Tony was glad he was already laying down for the news.

 

“Tony, congrats,” Bruce laughed, “it’s a girl.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aghhh i have no self control! i'm just really fond of the whole tony & darcy father and daughter dynamic, what can i say?
> 
> they're just so damn snarky and it fits so well!
> 
> bracelet:  
> https://img1.etsystatic.com/133/1/5622402/il_570xN.907446465_2zjn.jpg


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> really short chapter! sorry guys, still in a bit of a block when it comes to all my stories right now, so I'll probably keep updating with little snippets like this until I can get the ball rolling again.
> 
> thanks for bearing with me!

Tony didn’t remember how he got off the floor and onto the couch, but he was pleased to find a glass of scotch in his hand. Looking up from the amber liquid Tony was met with Pepper and Bruce’s concerned faces. 

 

“Please tell me I didn’t faint.”

 

Bruce laughed, “No, no fainting. Shock, definitely.” Tony rolled his eyes at his friend’s amusement, tossing back a good portion of his drink. 

 

Pepper took a sip from her own wine, a small smile dancing on her lips. “It was very masculine shock, Tony, don’t you worry about that.”

 

“Ugh, why do I like you people?” Tony’s head was swimming with anxiety, so he finished off his drink in the hope for some clarity. _Nope, still panicking._

 

“You should probably be worrying about telling Darcy that you’re her dad.”

 

Tony sighed. “Yeah. Thanks, Brucie, I figured that out myself.” 

 

This was a mess. Yeah, Tony was ecstatic that Darcy actually was his kid, but there was something different about _feeling_ like she was his and _knowing_ that it was true.

 

“Not really, Tony.” 

 

Ah, so he was talking out loud. He focused back on Bruce who was looking both exasperated and fond of Tony, like he was an adorably dumb puppy instead of a genius superhero. He wanted to be offended, but then Tony realized that he _was_ adorable, thank you very much. 

 

Bruce placed the test results on the table and Tony was grateful for the paper copies rather than a tablet since his hands were shaking too badly. 

 

“What if she’s upset? What if she doesn’t _want_ me to be her dad?”

 

Pepper’s bemused expression immediately softened and she came to sit at his side, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder.

 

“ _Tony,_ ” she chided, “Darcy is crazy about you. She already loves you like the dad she never had, she’ll be thrilled that you’re actually her biological father.”

 

He couldn’t help the hesitancy that made his next words waver. “Are you sure?”

 

“ _Positive_. But if you’re still uncertain, you’ll just have to ask her yourself.”

 

xXx

 

Okay, so maybe Pepper didn’t mean right _now_ , but Tony had to make moves or else he was going to lose his nerve. He tore down the facility’s hallways until he reached the common area where FRIDAY informed him that Darcy and her super-soldiers were hanging out with Thor, who had just come back from Asgard with a gift for Darcy.

 

All thoughts of revealing his shared DNA with Darcy stopped short when he reached the doorway.

 

“Is that…? Is that a _dog?_ ”

 

The thing was _huge._ It looked like an almost full-grown Leonberger, but Tony could tell by its disposition and the size of it’s clumsy paws that it was still very much a puppy. Darcy sat back on the couch with the dog’s head resting on her belly, while Steve and Bucky sat on either side of her watching in amusement. Thor sat on the ground next to the dog, scratching behind its ears and getting whacked repeatedly by a very excitedly wagging tail. 

 

“Tony!” Darcy squealed, “Look at him! Isn’t he the cutest?!” Darcy leaned down as far as she could (i.e., not very far at all) so that the giant dog could lick her nose, making her giggle. 

 

“Uh, yeah kiddo,” he flinched at the nickname, seeing as it was a little closeto home now. “ _Why_ is there a giant dog here?”

 

Thor looked over his shoulder and beamed at him, “’Tis a gift for my lightening sister from Asgard, friend Tony. Véurr here will both protect Darcy and keep her company, as well as the babes.” Véurr turned to face Tony as well, letting out a deep rumbling _woof_ in hello. 

 

 

Tony just blinked, not really sure what to do with these sudden change of events. He squinted his eyes at the dog, who squinted his eyes right back.

 

“Is the mutt—”

 

“Véurr—” Both Darcy and Thor corrected.

 

“—is _Véurr,_ then, is he kind of…smart?” It felt a little ridiculous to ask if the dog had some sort of superior intellect, but the beast’s eyes seemed a little _too_ knowing for just a normal dog. But then again, the thing came from Asgard so what the hell was ‘normal’ anyways?

 

“Aye,” Thor downright _beamed_ at the Véurr who gave him one of those goofy dog-smiles in return. “Véurr is a special beast. He accidentally stumbled away from his mother shortly after he was weened and managed to find his way into the Sorcerer’s Collegium where he managed to get in the line of fire of some experimental spell work. No one is quite sure what Véurr was hit with, but his intelligence has surpassed that of any normal beast as a result, and is almost on par with mortal intelligence.”

 

Tony sighed in exasperation but couldn’t help the small smile forming on his mouth. It made sense that Thor would bring the misfit dog to them, the Avengers were a bunch of misfits themselves. 

 

“Did they affect his size? Véurr is kind of ginormous, buddy.”

 

“No, Véurr here is the runt of his litter.”

 

That was a mildly terrifying prospect. The dog already looked like he would be triple the size of a Leonberger to Tony’s untrained eye, so how big was this thing going to _get?_

 

Tony shook his head to clear his thoughts, remembering why he came barreling into the room anyways.

 

“Hey, big guy, and, uh, Véurr, do you mind if I talk to the parents-to-be privately for a bit? Need to talk some stuff over with them.”

 

Thankfully Thor was able to sense Tony’s seriousness and stood without questioning him.

 

“Come along, Véurr,” he boomed, “You should meet the rest of the family. I think you will get along quite well with Vision!”

 

With another _woof_ to Tony and the three on the sofa, Véurr clomped out of the room after Thor looking pleased as punch at the thought of meeting more people. 

 

Once Tony was alone with the three curious faces looking up at him from the couch, he about lost all his nerve. He took half a second to deliberate the best way to go about saying everything, but decided to go with his usual MO.

 

_Let’s just wing it, shall we?_

 

“So, kiddo, I’ve got some news. None of it bad, mind you. Well at least I don’t think so, so who knows. Anyways, you kind of jogged my memory a bit when you talked to me about your mom, and, well…turns out I’m your dad. Yay?” Tony cringed as he waved the paternity test around just so his shaking hands had something to do. 

 

There super-solider jaws about hit the floor at Tony’s declaration which wasn’t doing a whole lot to settle his nerves. Another minute of deafening silence ticked by and Tony couldn’t take it any longer.

 

So he rambled. 

 

“I mean, I know you’re twenty-four and don’t _need_ a dad and probably don’t _want_ one especially one as messed up as me and _please_ for the love of god say something?”

 

He ignored the emotion clogging his throat and instead focused on Darcy’s watery eyes, already bracing himself for the sting of rejection. Thankfully, Darcy started to smile.

 

“You’re my dad?”

 

“Yeah, kiddo, I’m your dad.” He could feel his own mouth mirroring Darcy’s— _his daughter’s—_ smile. 

 

Darcy let out a burst of noise that was caught somewhere between a laugh and a sob, the disbelief rolling off of her in waves. Tony quickly went to kneel in front of Darcy when she looked like she was going to try to stand. She was getting far too big for sudden movements.

 

As best as he could with the awkward position in front of her giant belly Tony wrapped his arms around her in a hug, ignoring the still shell-shocked men on either side of her. 

 

He laugh-cried with Darcy, happy and scared and everything else that he couldn’t name.

 

Darcy leaned back to wipe her eyes with the heel of her hand, laughing when Tony only let her go far enough to do so and refused to take his arms from around her. 

 

“You’re gonna be a grandpa too, Tony.”

 

_That_ brought him up short real quick. In all the excitement he totally forgot that _he was going to be a grandpa, what the hell?!_

 

Steve and Bucky tensed on either side of the father-daughter pair at that reminder that _oh yeah, they knocked up my baby girl._

 

Obviously it was a bit too late (about eight months too late) to break out the shovel talk to the soldiers, but Tony could appreciate their apprehension anyways. He cast a stony gaze at the two, cheering internally when they failed to hide a wince. 

 

“Well, this definitely puts a spin on the team dynamics, don’t you think?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://www.vikingsofbjornstad.com/Old_Norse_Dictionary_E2N.shtm
> 
> Véurr — protector


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a heads up:
> 
> in this 'verse, the Avengers didn't go to Clint's farm for a safe-house when Ultron happened, unlike the movie. Instead they went somewhere else. Why? because i realized after i finished the chapter that there were some continuity errors between the fic and the movies but i was already happy with the way things were written and I didn't want to go back and change it.
> 
> Laura and the kids don't exist here, as seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Because that was a whole mess of things that just didn't do it for me. So instead, Clint and Natasha are a thing and everyone knows it and accepts it. Woo!
> 
> that's all i can think of at the moment, enjoy!

Darcy was stretched out on the sofa in the common room, sprawled across Bucky and Steve who were giving her sore feet and back massages as they waited for the rest of the team to meet. She wasn’t really sure what the meeting was actually about, and she didn’t care as long as it didn’t prevent her guys from stopping their ministrations.

 

Vision was the next one to enter the room, a very happy Véurr on his heels.The two had become quite close, much to everyone’s amusement, something about them both being new/original beings with no equivalent. If Darcy thought about it too hard it made her feel melancholy, so she just liked to find joy in their friendship. She smiled when she noticed that the two were in what appeared to be a deep conversation. Due to the Mind Stone in Vision’s head it was discovered that he could communicate telepathically with Véurr. “I am not sure, Véurr, but I could ask for you, if you like?”

 

Véurr let out a deep bark in affirmation and smiled when Vision scratched him behind his ears. The giant dog then seemed to realize that there were others in the room, barking loudly in greeting before he ran up and snuggled his large head against Darcy’s belly. She wasn’t sure, but Darcy thought that Véurr already had a soft spot for the babies and she couldn’t _wait_ for them to be big enough to interact with him.

 

“Darcy,” Vision floated up next to Véurr, his head tilted in curiosity, “Véurr and I were wondering if it would be detrimental to Véurr’s health to eat some human food? I understand that Earth dogs cannot eat most things, but Véurr is unique. He heard me speak to Tony about your snickerdoodles and he is curious about them.”

 

Darcy tried really hard not to let her amusement show, not wanting Vision to think that he was being mocked. He was just so heartbreakingly _earnest_ and sincere about everything, from his opinions on modern politics to his deep love for snickerdoodle cookies. Gathering her composure, she looked between Vision and Véurr’s hopeful expressions.

 

“Well, seeing as he’s Asgardian I wouldn’t think it would harm him, just look at how much food Thor eats every day. I don’t see why not.”

 

Their beaming smiles were breathtaking and Darcy cursed her bottom lip for wobbling with emotion. _These kids need to come out_ now _because I am sick of these crazy pregnancy hormones!_

 

Thankfully, Darcy was saved from any embarrassment when the rest of the team filed in. Clint stood in front of the semi-circle of sofas and waited for them to settle before he spoke. 

 

“Okay, so we only have about three weeks until D-Day,” he directed his smirk at Darcy.

 

“Wait, is _that_ what we’re calling the due date? _Really?_ ”

 

Clint just continued as if Darcy hadn’t spoken, “We’ve been getting some chatter that Coulson’s team picked up and some other contacts that the Facility here is getting some unwelcome attention from Hydra. On that note, I think we should go to a safe house until the nuggets are born and the chatter has calmed down. Whichever comes first.”

 

Everyone tensed at the mention of Hydra, but it was Tony who spoke first. “Okay, so I see the benefits of that, but where the _hell_ do we find a safe house that’s big enough for all of us? Because I’m sure as hell not leaving the kiddo stranded alone.”

 

Darcy grinned like a doofus at Tony’s protective vehemence. The entire team now knew about their new family status and no one would say it, but everyone definitely thought it was downright _adorable_ at how seriously Tony was taking his new role for her _and_ the babies. 

 

Scoffing, Clint rolled his eyes at her father. “ _Please_ , Tony. I’ve got the perfect space. We’re going to go to the farm.”

 

xXx

 

Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise as he helped Darcy walk down the quinjet ramp. “Huh. You actually have a farm, Clint. And here I thought that was spy-code for something.”

 

Clint and Natasha rolled their eyes together and scoffed. _Eerie._

 

Returning his focus back to his daughter—and the thrill of _that_ was not lost quite yet—Tony made sure that she wasn’t going to topple over anytime soon. Darcy’s belly was _enormous_ and he couldn’t quite figure out how she hadn’t popped the kids out yet. 

 

Bucky suddenly appeared at Tony’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Wait here, I want to do a perimeter check.” Before Tony could even protest, Bucky leaned in and gave Darcy a peck on the cheek and disappeared into the tall field of corn around them, Steve doing the same a moment later. _Ugh. Gross._

 

Darcy seemed to share his exasperation, if not his mild disgust. “Seriously, guys? This is _Clint’s_ place we’re talking about, it’s so safe not even _you_ guys knew about it! It’s gotta be safe!”

 

Steve’s voice floated over to them from somewhere in the field, “Can’t be too safe, sweetheart!”

 

Even Tony had to admit the wonder twins had a point, but he certainly wasn’t going to tell them so. Thankfully it was only a couple minutes later that he and Darcy got the ‘all-clear’ to start walking down the path to the farmhouse in the distance. Tony attempted to get Darcy to sit in a wheelchair or let him carry her in the Iron Man suit so she wouldn’t be so tired but she shut that down _real_ quick. So he slowly made his way to Clint’s nesting grounds— _ha! I’ll have to remember that for later—_ with his arm around Darcy’s waist and trying not to fret over her panting breaths.

 

“I cannot _wait_ to get these kids out of me, you have _no idea,”_ she huffed, “I mean, it’s great that I can eat whatever I want because of all of the super-metabolism, but these kids are so damned _heavy!”_ Tony laughed at her pouting and was pleased to see a small smile turn up the corner of her mouth as well. 

 

By the time the father-daughter duo had reached the front porch, everyone else was already settled in. Natasha had claimed a porch swing next to Clint, sipping a beer and sharpening her impressive (read: _terrifying)_ set of knives. Jane had somehow made her way onto the rooftop and was attempting to set up a telescope with Pepper, who just seemed to be up there for shits and giggles. Thor sat down in front of the ladies, his legs swinging off the edge of the roof like a giant excited child. The Maximoff twins and Vision were running around an empty field with Véurr, who was the happiest Tony had ever seen him. He made a mental note to expand some of the fields around the Facility so the giant mutt had more room to run around and let off some energy.

 

_Ugh, I’m getting soft in my old age._

 

Tony helped Darcy slowly climb the few porch steps before shuffling her inside and gently helping her ease onto a sofa. Without prompting, Tony reached for a pillow and placed it under her feet so they were elevated, sure that they would be sore and swollen after the long walk. She sighed in relief and fell asleep not long after. Brushing her hair out of her face Tony removed his kid’s glasses from where they were resting crooked on her nose. He smiled at her sleeping form, her face so peaceful but her arms and legs suddenly akimbo in a crazed sprawl. Leaving her be, Tony made his way into the kitchen where he could hear Bruce speaking with Steve and Bucky.

 

“I’ve got just about everything I need here to deliver the babies safely, so you two can rest easy.” Bruce was using his ‘trust me, I’m a doctor voice,’ but it clearly wasn’t having the desired effect on the super-soldiers. The two men were shifting anxiously on the barstools at the counter as Bruce poured them tea.

 

“But what about complications, Bruce? What if something goes wrong or—” Steve seemed to get a little choked up but manly staunched the emotion down with a large gulp of steaming tea. 

 

“ _Steve_ ,” Bucky chided, “You’ve got to stop thinking like that, okay? It’s not going to help anyone if you’re constantly in a panic.”

 

Bruce nodded in agreement. “He’s right. And to be honest, I’m not anticipating any complications. Between her new super-serum, and the babies’, I can’t imagine too many things going wrong. _But,_ ” he raised his hand to halt any of Steve’s protests, “if we do come across complications that I can’t solve, or I don’t feel comfortable with, we can take the quinjet to the nearest hospital in no time at all. However, I have enough medical equipment set up in the master bedroom to perform a full cesarian-section, if need be.”

 

Though he wasn’t completely satisfied, Steve at least looked a little mollified. “Thanks, Bruce.”

 

Tony’s science bro only nodded in acknowledgement before turning to face Tony. “Are you going to panic too, or are you okay? It’s kind of sad when I’m the calm one around here, don’t you think?”

 

He couldn’t help but to laugh. “Nah, I’m okay. The son-in-law here seems to panic enough for everyone.” Tony downright _cackled_ at Steve’s wince, knowing how much it freaked out him and Bucky when he called them that.

 

Deciding that he’d show some mercy on the guy, Tony changed the subject. “So where are our normals? I haven’t seen the sane ones around here.”

 

Bucky heaved out a sigh in exasperation. “Scott and Sam got it into their heads that they could take care of the animals. Particularly, they wanted to go milk the cow.”

 

As if punctuating how bad of an idea that was, the four men paused as they heard a loud, disgruntled _moo_ followed by some very girlish squealing and impressive cursing. 

 

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose in an effort to stave off a blooming headache as running footsteps and an angry cow could be heard through the open window. “Clint’s never letting us back to the farm, is he?”

 

xXx

 

“Okay, so the cow was _maybe_ a bad idea.”

 

Sam rolled his eyes at Scott as they panted behind the tree they were using as a hiding spot.

 

“It was a _terrible_ idea, Scott. That cow was _not_ a fan of your hands all up in her business.”

 

It was Scott’s turn to roll his eyes, “Whatever, man, you were just too scared to get near it!”

 

“I’m sorry, did you not see how pissed she got? Seeing as we’re hiding behind a damn _tree_ from a deranged cow, I think I had the better instincts of the two of us!”

 

The two held their serious faces for only a moment or two more before they broke down in loud guffaws. After they had calmed down some, Sam clapped Scott on the shoulder and began to lead them to another fenced in area of the farm.

 

“Come on, man, let’s go feed the chickens.”

 

Ten minutes later the pair was seated at the kitchen table while Bruce was bandaging them up. Tony was cackling like a madman and taking photos of them both while Natasha just shook her head and mumbling about idiots under her breath.

 

“Shit,” Scott breathed, “those were some _violent_ chickens.”

 

xXx

 

Clint groaned in exasperation as Tony tried to reach around him to the toolbox. 

 

“Tony, _no_ , the tractor does _not need an arc reactor!”_

 

“Aw, c’mon, Clint! Think about how efficient it would be, and how _cool_ it would be!” Clint was thankful for the extra inch he had on Tony as he raised a wrench above his head to keep out of his friend’s grabby hands.

 

“‘ _Cool?’_ That’s seriously your reasoning?”

 

Tony rolled his eyes like _Clint_ was being the ridiculous one. “Uh, yeah? I’m bored,” he whined, “we’ve been here for a week, a _week_ and I can’t stand sitting around your farm with your shitty electronics and _I need to fix them!”_

 

Clint squinted at his friend, noticing the tightness around his eyes and the thrumming of anxious energy rolling through him. _Dammit,_ he sighed, knowing that Tony actually did _need_ to fix things. Praying that he wasn’t making a mistake, Clint gave the wrench to Tony and stepped away from the toolbox. With a squeal of glee that Clint was _never ever forgetting_ , Tony immediately began muttering to himself as he tossed items over his shoulder to search for what he needed.

 

Dodging a hammer, Clint made his hasty retreat out of the barn and back out into the field. He took a moment to let his eyes adjust before taking in the scene in front of him.

 

Bruce sat under a tree with Véurr and Vision, reading what looked like a textbook on wildlife. Clint fucking _loved_ Véurr, the dog was always down to hang out and learn something new. Often he’d follow Clint to the shooting range and listened to him rant about the benefits about certain types of bows and arrows. While Véurr enjoyed Clint’s company, he loved to spend time with Vision and Bruce. Bruce was a sea of calm and was always excited to teach Véurr about anything, and Vision was just as new to the world as the dog was, making him a great learning companion. Clint waved to the trio as he made his way back to the farmhouse where he knew Natasha would be waiting for him.

 

He jogged the last of the way and didn’t hesitate to plop himself next to Natasha on her porch swing, leaning over to catch her lips in a kiss. He absolutely loved bringing her here, where Natasha let her cold facade slip and was openly affectionate with him. He never would begrudge her colder demeanor elsewhere, knowing that her years in the Red Room and under the KGB’s thumb hardened her to the point that all affection was difficult to come by. It had taken years of rocky partnership before he had even gotten a genuine smile from her, but Clint thanked his lucky stars every damn day that she trusted him enough to let him this close. 

 

Slinging an arm around her shoulders and tucking her into his side, Clint relaxed in the summer heat, content with his family so close and safe. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright people, hoped you liked that chapter :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woo! long chapter!!

The stars were beautiful, almost as good of a view as they had back in New Mexico, Jane decided. She leaned back against Thor’s broad chest as they sat together on the roof while the rest of the house slept. FRIDAY was finally wired into the farm house so that they could all be warned within seconds if danger was afoot. Knowing this allowed Jane to rest easy and enjoy what few moments she got alone with Thor, guilty that Darcy’s upcoming due-date had made her remiss in spending time with him.

 

Sensing where her thoughts were going, Thor spoke gently into Jane’s ear. “Do not fret, my love, the upcoming days are taxing on all of our minds and I do not hold one moment against you.” He punctuated his promise with a kiss against Jane’s temple that just about made her _melt._

 

They sat in silence for a good twenty minutes more, just gazing at the stars before Thor hesitantly spoke.

 

“Do you ever think about it?” He asked.

 

“About what?”

 

“…about children of our own.” Thor’s words were so uncharacteristically quiet that Jane almost didn’t hear them, but once they sunk into her head she sat up quickly to turn around and face her boyfriend.

 

One thing that Jane was forever grateful for was Thor’s complete lack of deception, his emotions and desires always easy to read on his face. Take now, for instance: Thor spoke with confidence yet it was easy to see his hesitancy and wariness regarding Jane’s answer, giving her pause. 

 

“I don’t know,” she admitted, “I’ve thought about it, sure, but I think I’ve been so caught up with my work and now Darcy that I haven’t really thought about what it would mean for _us.”_

 

Thor appeared understanding, but Jane caught the small flicker of sadness across his face. “So it is not a pleasing idea to you, then.” 

 

“No no no, Thor, that is _not_ what I meant. Not what I meant at all!” Jane inhaled deeply, gathering a few moments to parse together her words in a way that Thor would understand, her hands almost grasped too tightly on either side of her face as she struggled for words. 

 

“I want kids, _I do_ , it’s just until this past year or so I never actually thought of it as a real possibility. We lead such dangerous lives and I’ve always worried about the potential safety of any kids we would have. _But,”_ she insisted when she saw sadness flash across his face once more, “if this past year has taught me anything, it is that it _is_ possible.”

 

Thor searched Jane’s face, searching for doubt or sincerity, Jane didn’t know. She spoke her final thoughts about the subject before he had the chance to speak. 

 

“The only thing I worry about is the difference in our aging,” she confessed, “you live for _so long,_ Thor, and my lifespan is nothing but a blink of an eye compared to yours. How could I ask you to watch me age and die while you will still look like _this,_ all handsome and perfect for the next five thousand years? You would leave me behind, and only have our half-immortal kids to remember me by. How could I ask you to carry that sadness with you for so long?”

 

Jane didn’t realize she was crying until Thor began wiping tears from under her eyes with his big hands, a sad smile on his face.

 

“My dearest Jane, did you honestly think that I had not prepared for this? That I had not asked my mother for one of Idun’s apples moments after she met you?”

 

Jane let out a sob at the thought of Frigga, the woman’s sacrifice still so fresh in her memory. The fact that the AllMother had granted Thor one of the rare golden apples for _her_ was overwhelming. 

 

“You’re sure? You’re sure that you want me for that long?” Jane tried to tease, but by the look of consternation on Thor’s face told her that she clearly did not succeed.

 

“Jane,” he breathed, “You are worth more than all of Idun’s apples, more than anything that all of Yggdrasil has to offer. Should I have not been successful in gaining an apple, I would have gladly given up my powers so that I could live a mortal life with you.”

 

_That_ confession is what broke Jane’s heart completely, Thor’s love for her the most beautiful burden she could hope to bear. Jane loved him completely, with every part of her heart and soul, but she could never hope to voice it so beautifully as he did. She pressed frantic kisses to Thor’s lips and face, letting him know that she wanted him, wanted _everything_ that they could have together. Thor buried one hand in Jane’s hair, his kisses just as fevered as hers in their intensity.

 

Tucking her face into Thor’s neck, she missed the way he ran his thumb across the small velvet box in his free hand. He could wait, he realized. After all, they have all the time in the world. 

 

xXx

 

Darcy and the Avengers spent the next two weeks in relative bliss, comfortable in the farm’s isolated yet easily-defensible location. Darcy spent whatever time she could outside and walking slowly around the property, typically with Tony, Bucky, or Steve on her arm to help her move around. She knew that once the kids came, it would be some time before she felt up to (and it was okay for her to) get out of the house. 

 

Scott and Sam continued to ‘take care of’ aka _terrorize_ the livestock who had no qualms with letting the humans know who exactly was in charge. The two were typically sporting some bruises or scrapes from their run-ins with the animals, much to everyone else’s amusement. Natasha was often found hovering somewhere around Darcy with Pepper at her side, the two red-heads determined to be the fist to reach Darcy at any sign of trouble. 

 

Darcy couldn’t help but to giggle whenever she saw Wanda giving moon-eyes to an oblivious Vision, Pietro always next to her scowling at his sister and the android and attempting to drag her away. Darcy _reall_ y wanted to say something to Vision, but Bucky and Steve made it very clear that it would be better for everyone if she left them alone to figure it out themselves. 

 

Tension was still high since Darcy’s due date was now only days away, but everyone did a damn fine job at projecting auras of calm, not wanting to ramp up either Darcy’s or Bruce’s anxiety any higher than they already were.

 

Bruce had actually voluntarily let the Hulk out a few days prior in an attempt to rid himself of some excess energy and anxiety. It was one of the best days ever, as far as Darcy was concerned, watching Hulk gently play with Véurr in the fields surrounding the farm. Yeah, Clint may have lost some corn in the endeavor, but not even he could be mad when they saw the goofy smiles on Hulk’s and Véurr’s faces. Tension definitely dropped a whole lot in the farm house when Bruce changed back hours later. 

 

It was two days before her due date that Darcy began to feel ill, like perhaps she actually ate more than her shiny new super-metabolism could handle and her stomach was trying to stretch even more in order to accommodate her. She chugged a couple glasses of water, feeling only slightly better afterwards. Darcy didn’t think much of it, seeing as she was almost due to pop out the super-twins. Discomfort was kind of par for the course these days. 

 

Just in case it _was_ labor, Darcy slowly began shuffling into her favorite night-shirt so she could be as comfortable as possible. It was a cotton-blend shirt that was made by Tony, fabric that was designed to stretch and shrink with Bruce’s body when he hulked out. This oversized and purple monstrosity didn’t pass the test, having failed to shrink back down to normal. It was _perfect_ for an obscenely pregnant Darcy, however, coming down to just below her knees. She looked like a goddamn house in it, but she really didn’t have enough energy these last couple months in the way of vanity so she didn’t let it bother her. 

 

Darcy could hear everyone down the hall in the kitchen, cursing the fact that she could smell the delicious scent of coffee and not have any. Yeah, she had months to get over that particular addiction, but still _._ _Coffee_. Bracing herself, she began to move ever-so-slowly toward the delicious smells of coffee and bacon that were wafting down the hall. She had just reached the doorway when she felt a sharp _pang_ in her lower stomach and a rush of liquid pool around her feet.

 

Her “oh, _shit”_ was drowned out by FRIDAY’s voice that cut across all noise in the farmhouse: _“The perimeter has been breached, twenty suspected armed men, t-minus five minutes.”_

 

Darcy thought all hell had broken loose many times in her life, but this was certainly taking the spot at the top of her list. Every avenger managed to pull a gun out of seemingly nowhere, which made Darcy a bit curious about her friends and family seeing as many were sitting around in boxers and/or pajamas. _Where are you guys keeping those…?_

 

Go-bags were pulled from hidey holes that Darcy never would have suspected (seriously, how did they get shit behind the microwave?) and they were all suited up in about forty-five seconds. Véurr trotted over to Darcy and whined when he noticed her pinched expression and the puddle of water that was expanding on the floor. The giant dog turned and began barking rapidly, catching Vision’s attention first before the rest of the Avengers & co. caught on.

 

“Oh, dear,” the android mused, “this is certainly unfortunate timing.”

 

Darcy forced out a strained chuckle when everyone turned to look at her. “So, guess whose water just broke?”

 

xXx

 

Tony was not freaking out, okay? _He was not freaking out aT ALL AND HE WAS TOTALLY CALM, OKAY?!_

 

He ran over with Bucky and Steve, patting down Darcy as if she was injured and not, you know, leaking water all over the place because the babies were on the way. _Oh, fuck_ , he groaned internally, _the goddamn babies are coming and Hydra is oN THE WAY AND THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SAFE HOUSE WHAT THE HELL?!_

 

Darcy brought Tony out of his panic by slapping her palms on either side of his face and smashing his cheeks together. “ _Tony_ , you have _got_ to get your shit together, alright? My water _just_ now broke, so we have some time before the kiddos make an appearance but I’m really gonna need you to not have a panic attack here, Dad.” 

 

_Dad._ That was the first time Darcy had ever called him that, and it made him feel like he was just whacked upside the head with a frying pan. It did clear up his panic, though. _Huh, imagine that._ It was the look of thinly veiled fear in Darcy’s eyes that snapped Tony into action, deciding that his mushy parental feelings could be put on hold for the moment. 

 

“Right, okay, kiddo. You got it. This is me, calm. Very zen.” 

 

Darcy’s laugh was a bit hysterical, but she still laughed. 

 

“Awesome. Any chance you could share that with my fellas, here?”

 

Tony’s composure almost broke when he looked over to see a shell-shocked and shaking Captain America and a frozen ( _oh, bad taste, Tony, bad taste)_ Winter Soldier, looking like they just took a knee to the groin. It was worse than when Tony first called them his son-in-laws, which was certainly saying something. 

 

“Hey!” he snapped, “Darcy needs you guys to man up and get it together, okay? There’s only twenty of them and a dozen Avengers. Plus Pepper and Jane, who are absolutely terrifying. We got this.”

 

Unfortunately, Tony’s pep-talk only seemed to incense their panic further. Both super-soldiers suddenly began running around the house in a panic, barking out orders to everyone else. Tony made a note to mourn the fact that Scott and Sam seemed to lose their titles as the ‘normals’ in the Avengers when they lost their cool and slid right into panic with Steve and Bucky. The Maximoff twins just stared at everyone in shock and waited for some _real_ directions, thank god. There were already too many supers in this house losing their shit.

 

Natasha had enough, if the bullet she fired into the ceiling was anything to go by.

 

“ _Really_ , Nat? I just got that painted,” Clint whined. Tony really wanted to know what happened that made Clint _need_ to paint the ceiling, but Natasha waited for no man.

 

She simply ignored Clint and addressed everyone who now stood stock still in front of her. “Now that I have everyone’s attention, here is what we’re going to do. Véurr, Bruce, Jane, and Pepper will go into the master bedroom with Darcy and help her through her contractions. Wanda and Scott, you two will be immediate defense inside of the house while Sam and Pietro take the closest perimeter. Everyone else, we’re going to the surrounding area and will dispatch the Hydra operatives before they even get a chance to get within five hundred yards of the house. Do I make myself clear?”

 

Everyone nodded silently in acquiesce, except for Véurr who let out a rumbling _woof_ of agreement instead. Steve and Bucky looked like they wanted to protest and stay closer to Darcy, which Tony couldn’t fault them for, but Natasha quelled them with a look.

 

“Come on, guys,” Tony cajoled, “the quicker you guys get out to the front of it the quicker al this will be over. It’s just twenty goons, remember? And the kids aren’t coming for little while yet.”

 

The three soon-to-be-parents shared a silent conversation that had _way_ too many looks of love and longing that Tony wanted to see, ever. 

 

“Fine,” Bucky sighed as he stomped over to Darcy and gave her one hell of a smoldering kiss on her lips _(ewwww)_ before placing a chaste on on her forehead. “We’ll be back soon, doll, alright? You stay safe.”

 

Darcy chuckled wetly, her panic starting to set in more fully. “Hurry back, okay?” She looked between the two soldiers with a beseeching gaze. “I don’t think I can do this without you two.”

 

It was Steve’s turn to step forward and kiss Darcy in the same manor as Bucky, his lips still pressed to her forehead as he spoke. “Sweetheart, we will get back to you as fast as you can. I promise.”

 

xXx

 

Bruce was fairly surprised he was keeping as calm as he was, under the circumstances. Maybe it was because he let the Other Guy out not too long ago or maybe it was because he knew that he couldn’t afford to Hulk-out with Darcy and the babies so near.

 

“Maybe you just have far more control over the Hulk than you think, hmm?” Pepper’s voice was teasing and calm, a contrast to the way her eyes lit up time to time with extremis as gunshots echoed over the fields.

 

He simply sighed, running his hand through his hair as he double checked Darcy’s vitals. “I’m certainly spending too much time around Tony if I’m starting to ramble out loud.” Darcy had amazingly fallen asleep, or a light doze, so checking her vitals was somewhat easy right now. She typically was one of his worst patients. Barring the rest of the Avengers, of course. No one avoided medical quite like them.

 

Pepper hummed, a smile making the corner of her mouth twitch. “He’s good for you, Bruce, keeps you on your toes.”

 

Bruce huffed out a laugh, unable to argue against that point at all. Véurr whined from his spot next to Darcy on the bed, looking at Bruce with his too-wise eyes. 

 

“You help too, buddy.” Bruce was fairly certain that the giant dog just _beamed_ a smile at him, making him smile in return. He had foggy memories of the Hulk playing with Véurr in the cornfield, the most relaxed he think the Other Guy has ever been.

 

Jane interrupted his musing when she bustled into the room with an armful of towels and a cup of ice chips. “Will she actually want these, Bruce? They always show that on TV and stuff so I kind of just went with it.” He simply shrugged in response. Bruce delivered plenty of babies when he traveled through third world countries when he was off the grid, so ice chips typically weren’t first on the women’s list of priorities. Sterile equipment and a trained doctor, yes. Ice chips? Not so much.

 

Darcy chose that moment to wake up a bit, but only enough to wrap one arm around Véurr’s fluffy neck and grab Jane’s hand with her free one, groaning as another contraction hit. Véurr whined in sympathy and Jane cooed soothing nonsense quietly in her ear, Pepper busy rubbing Darcy’s back in soothing circles.

 

Bruce turned his face up slightly toward the ceiling to address the AI, “Where are we at now, FRIDAY?” 

 

_“Contractions are about seven minutes apart, Doctor Banner.”_

 

“Huh. So moving right along, then,” he mused. It seemed like only a few minutes ago that they were at about the twenty minute marker. Then again, this was a super-soldier delivery. All bets were off.

 

“How’s it looking outside?”

 

_“It appears that the last of the Hydra operatives are being dispatched as we speak. Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes are heading back now.”_

 

“Ugh, thank _god_.” Darcy’s voice was muffled from where she still had her face buried in Véurr’s fluffy side, but they could hear here all the same. “Not that I don’t love you guys, but I really need them with me on this.”

 

Pepper shushed Darcy, “Don’t be silly, of course you do. We’re just here until they get back and then we’ll get out of your hair.”

 

Véurr whined and shuffled closer to Darcy, clearly not wanting to leave her side. Pepper sighed, it was really hard to say ‘no’ to his literal puppy eyes, Bruce knew. “Yeah, you too, sweetheart. Bruce needs the space, and between him and the boys, this room is already going to be lacking enough room.”

 

The dog simply huffed and buried his head under the pillow Darcy was using and placed a heavy paw on her stomach, as if telling them all that there was _no way_ he was leaving Darcy’s side. Bruce had to admire his determination. He pleaded with Darcy with his eyes when she looked up at him, knowing that the mutt was only going to listen to her.

 

She pouted, but began nudging Véurr in the side anyways. “Hey, buddy, you know they’re right.”

 

There was some muffled whining in response, causing them all to chuckle.

 

Darcy huffed a small laugh as she continued prodding the dog. “I know you’re really excited to meet the kids, so how about you get to be one of the first ones in here after they’re born, yeah? You can come in with Tony and Pepper, I promise.”

 

Both the mentioned woman and the dog perked up immediately, albeit for two very different reasons. Sensing Pepper’s surprise, Darcy turned to the older woman. “Well, doesn’t it make sense for the grandma and grandpa to come in first? Véurr can tag along.”

 

Pepper cleared her throat and subtly wiped under her watering eyes. “Grandma, huh?”

 

“Yeah,” Darcy smiled, “Grandma.”

 

xXx

 

Sam, fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat on the sofa when another scream came from Darcy’s room. Well, it wasn’t so much the _scream_ that was freaking him out, but rather the many inventive ways in which Darcy was spelling out Steve and Bucky’s demise. The bit with the garrote and, um, they guys’ bits made Sam pull a pillow in his lap. He felt like less of an idiot when the rest of the guys made similar movements. Pepper, Wanda, Jane, and Natasha just smirked at them all, which was pretty impressive when they were also wincing in sympathy as Darcy cried out again. Poor Véurr looked like he was going to have an aneurysm, whining lowly under his breath and his ears flat down against his skull. 

 

The only people who didn’t look put off by any of this were Thor and Vision. Thor just sat there beaming like a goof, breaking the silence every once in a while with his booming voice as he told them all what a joyous occasion it was. Vision, with him being an android and all, didn’t seem to be fazed by what was happening and instead focused on communicating telepathically with Véurr to get the poor dog to calm down. It wasn’t really working. The giant mutt may have loved them all, but Darcy was technically his master or something, since he was a gift from Thor to her. Sam wasn’t really sure how it all worked out but he just let his curiosity slide on that one. He just knew that Véurr loved Darcy the best, as well as her soon-to-be-born kids.

 

Sam really wanted to groan at how long this was taking (knowing full well that his mom would whoop his ass for it, but they’d been here _forever_ ) so he looked to Scott for answers instead of making himself look like a jackass. “How long does this typically last for, man? You’re the only one here with any experience with this.”

 

Scott rolled his eyes. “Please, as if I had any clue how much time passed. I was too busy trying not to shit my pants in terror and getting my hand broken by my wife. I was told later that it was about ten hours.” He flexed his right hand briefly, “She actually managed to fracture a couple bones, I was impressed.”

 

Wanda piped up from the other side of the room where she sat in between Vision and her brother, “Back in Sokovia, I remember our neighbor giving birth when I was a small girl. It took a full twenty hours for the baby to be born.” Next to her, Pietro’s eyes were wide with the memory. And what looked like horror, much to Sam’s dismay.

 

“There was a lot of screaming,” he added.

 

Darcy’s next yell of pain punctuated Pietro’s statement, as if the universe was making sure they didn’t forget _this_ woman giving birth for the one they were talking about. Sam’s ears were already sensitive from the three hours of screaming they already sat through, so he was fairly sure he wasn’t going to get distracted anytime soon. 

 

“It sounds as if things are progressing rather quickly,” Vision said, head quirked to the side and eyes unfocused that told them all he was using his telepathy. Probably on Bruce, Sam thought, if he was going to pop into Darcy’s head at the moment he’d probably look a little bit more shocked. “It _is_ an unusual pregnancy and birth, of course, so perhaps we should not compare it to normal labors.”

 

Just then there was a whole lot more yelling and crying from Darcy, as well as a muffled _PUSH!_ from Bruce, soon followed by the sound of a new baby crying. It was only another three minutes when the process repeated once more, a second tiny cry filling up the house.

 

In the living room, all the Avengers were a little watery-eyed and smiling. 

 

_They’re here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't worry, baby names revealed next chapter!
> 
> also, i know next to nothing about birth and pregnancy aside from vague google searches and random questions i ask my 8 month pregnant sister. so 3 hour labor for twins at almost exactly 9 months? probablyyyyy not realistic.
> 
> but whatever, it's fiction, they all have super-serum, let's call it even


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now you guys get a short chapter, but hell yeah two in one day? i'm applauding myself over here. just hope you guys are liking it still :)
> 
> SO much thanks to Gypsylady, Evestarr44, and casedeputy for the names! I know a lot of you tossed out suggestions and they were all awesome, but these three had my favorites. [please don't be mean if you don't like the baby names, it was hard enough coming to a decision without having to doubt myself :/ ]
> 
> onto the chapter!  
> FEELS  
> ...but good feels, i promise

Tony was about vibrating out of his skin in anticipation. He stood outside the master bedroom door with Pepper and Véurr, waiting for the OK from everyone so that they could come in. Tony could sympathize with the dog, honestly, who had his nose to the crack under the door and was pawing at it and whining a little pathetically. Pepper grabbed his wrist, seeming to know where his mind was at and giving him a squeeze of support. 

 

Bruce tried to open the door gently, but Tony only got a brief look at his friend’s face before Véurr barreled through him and forced his way into the room. There were some quiet chuckles from everyone, not wanting to wake the newborns. Thankfully, Véurr didn’t make much noise when he moved despite his large size. Probably some Asgardian voodoo that was at work there. 

 

Tony focused back on the present when he reached down to help Bruce stand back up, inching his way into the room and peering around his friend’s shoulder. He immediately started tearing up at the sight.

 

Darcy sat up against the headboard, Steve and Bucky wedged in on either side of her and Véurr curled up on Darcy’s legs with his head in her lap. She looked beautiful, if exhausted, and had the most serene smile on her face. Steve and Bucky each held a small bundle in their arms that they were unable to look away from.

 

“Hey, Dad,” Darcy whispered, “wanna meet the grandkids?”

 

“Yeah, I really, really do.” he wiped away some tears that rolled down his cheeks, reaching back and grabbing one of Pepper’s hands for support when he felt his legs waver. “How are you doing, kiddo?”

 

Darcy looked up at the two men on either side of her, then to the little blue and pink-wrapped bundles in their arms. “I’m good,” she laughed quietly, “I’m really, really good.”

 

Steve and Bucky finally seemed to realize that Tony and Pepper were in the room, each looking up and smiling hugely at them. In sync, both men curled their legs closer to their bodies so that there was room for Pepper and Tony to sit on the bed. Tony took the spot next to Steve while Pepper sat near Bucky and immediately began cooing over the pink bundle in his arms.

 

Tony hesitantly reached out toward the little blue-wrapped baby in Steve’s arm, pausing only centimeters away. The babies were so _small,_ and fragile, and Tony was someone who broke things. People, machines, the world, he was inherently destructive. Why did they let him near the babies? _What were they thinking?_

 

“Tony,” he looked up at Steve, seeing a knowing look in his eyes. “It’s okay, Tony, I promise. You won’t hurt him.”

 

He usually would have cracked a joke about having Captain America’s seal of approval, but his words worn’t working right then. Tony searched Steve’s face for a moment longer before nodding slightly and so very gently brushing his fingers over his grandson’s— _his_ grandson _, holy shit_ —small thatch of blonde hair. No one acknowledged the choked off sob he let out, thankfully. 

 

Tony looked over at Pepper and couldn’t help but let a few more tears out at his wife. Pepper was snuggling the baby girl close, a couple dark brown curls poking out of the blanket. She met his eyes and Tony swore he had never seen Pepper so beautiful, tears and all. 

 

He turned back to Darcy and leaned over to place a small kiss on her forehead. “Congrats, kiddo. I’m _so_ happy for you, for all of you.”

 

Darcy sniffled and swallowed the lump in her throat, grasping Tony’s hand in hers. She didn’t say anything, but the tight grip of her hand and the look in her eyes conveyed her love and thanks easily. 

 

Pepper softly interjected, her voice barely above a whisper. “What are their names?” Tony was man enough to admit that he totally forgot to even consider that question, having been a bit too caught up in the moment with his family.

 

“This is Seren Margaret Lewis,” Bucky said, his eyes shining with tears as he looked his daughter in Pepper’s arms.

 

“And this is Madoc Howard Lewis,” Steve finished, looking up at Tony as he did. “Buck and I chose the middle names, Darcy chose their firsts.”

 

Tony was still reeling in shock that they named their kid after _his_ dad, but put that particular question on the back burner for now. “What do their first names mean?” He asked Darcy.

 

“Seren is Welsh, it means ‘star,’ Madoc is Irish, and it means ‘fortunate.’”

 

Steve fidgeted, bringing Tony’s attention back to the super-solider. “I know you and Howard were…complicated. And almost estranged and a bunch of other things I probably will never know, so I’m sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, Tony. But he and Peggy helped me _so_ much, they helped make me, _me._ Not just Captain America. They saw Steve Rogers and they decided that he was good. That he was _enough_. And I can never repay them for that. They helped me save Bucky, they believed in me.”

 

Tony cursed under his breath when his breath began to hitch, _not_ expecting to hear that from Steve. He knew that Howard used to be a good man, that he was _good,_ too, like Steve was. It was the search for Steve and the study of the tesseract that ruined Howard, which Tony knew too. It had taken a long time and a lot of therapy (and a lot of therapists, but that was neither here nor there) for him to come to peace with that.

 

Darcy squeezed his hand tightly as she spoke. “I remember you telling me about that film you found of Howard, during the palladium poisoning? Where he said you were his greatest creation. He had _hope,_ Dad, for you and what you could do.” She cleared her throat and tugged on his hand, making Tony meet her gaze. “Seren and Madoc are hope, too. Just like you are.”

 

To prevent himself from downright sobbing, because he _would not sob, goddamnit,_ Tony nodded his head frantically and reached his hands out toward Madoc. “Can I hold him?”

 

Steve just smiled and gently shifted the baby over, running his hand over his son’s head like Tony had. Tony took a moment to gently adjust the baby in his arms to make sure he was secure before he looked his fill.

 

His laugh was watery as hell, “That’s your damn jawline, Steve, no doubt about that.” He took his right hand and traced Madoc’s chubby cheek while everyone else laughed, in awe of this tiny human in his arms. Tony froze when the movement caused the baby’s eyes to flutter open, terrified that Madoc would start crying again. Instead, the little guy just opened his huge eyes and looked up at his grandpa.

 

That whole thing about not sobbing? Yeah, Tony lost that battle real quick.

 

*****

 

Back at the facility, Natasha reclined on Clint’s sofa and thought about the Hydra attack at the farm. Something wasn’t sitting right with Natasha about it. Oh, the attack was easy enough to handle, child’s play, truly, but some things were…off.

 

First, Natasha needed to clean house. FRIDAY was scanning the entire facility for bugs and was going to send her the results. There was no other way anyone could have known about the farmhouse. Even _Fury_ didn’t know about it until Clint brought him there a few years ago due to a diplomatic mission that went belly up. There was a mole somewhere in the new facility, and Natasha had _plans_ for it.

 

Second, there were only twenty goons. Normally, that would have been plenty to take down any number of groups, but the Avengers weren’t just anybody. Especially not when all of them were in one place with their loved ones at risk. So why waste such a small squadron, only to know they were going to get destroyed? It clearly was a test, if a very bad one. It didn’t make sense to test them on the farm seeing as it was a temporary base of operations for the team. Idea taking shape, Natasha called out to the AI.

 

“FRIDAY, please get a message to Coulson for me.”

 

_“Of course, Agent Romanov, what would you like to say?”_

 

“Tell him to get him and his team here, I think we’re going to have company soon.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter!

Coulson wouldn’t admit it, but he was fairly excited to meet Darcy’s twins. He helped aid the search for her when she was kidnapped and was immensely relieved when Natasha and Clint had sent him word that she was safe and sound, and the babies were healthy. So of course the universe would take this as its cue to start bringing trouble to the new family once more. 

 

Coulson looked at his team and began his lecture, feeling more like a teacher on a field trip rather than the Director of SHIELD and the leader of a highly specialized team.

 

“FitzSimmons, please do not overwhelm Stark, Foster, or Banner. There’s already enough mad scientists in that facility, they certainly don’t need any encouragement. Hunter, I’m going to go ahead and warn you now, do _not_ agree to anything that Mr. Lang suggests. It never ends well. I’m sure there’s a million more warnings I could give out to you all, but I honestly am too damn apprehensive to let both teams interact in the same space.”

 

Skye snorted behind her hand, trying and failing to keep her ‘agent face’ on as she called it. “It can’t be _that_ bad, right?”

 

It was so much worse.

 

Coulson gaped at the family that sat in the centermost sofa in the common area, not sure what to make of the information he was just given. He knew that his team behind him must be concerned for him, but he trusted May to take care of them should his heart stop completely.

 

“I’m sorry, Tony, but for a second there it sounded like you said you’re _Darcy’s biological father._ ”

 

The smug bastard just winked, “Yup! Got it in one. I’m Iron Grandpa, now.”

 

He certainly looked it, with a sleeping baby Seren in his arms wrapped in what appeared to be an Iron Man blanket. The potential adorableness of the situation had to be pushed to the side in favor of this world-shattering news.

 

The sound of more footsteps arriving behind Coulson was distraction enough for the moment, granting him a few breaths to gather his thoughts. He couldn’t even be shocked at Fury’s surprise appearance at the facility, unable to help but practically shout at the former director in an attempt to grab onto something normal. Surely Fury would have answers, right?

 

“Did you know about this?”

 

“Did I fucking know about _what_ , Coulson?”

 

“That Darcy Lewis is Tony Stark’s _daughter._ ”

 

Coulson had worked at Fury’s side for years, but he could honestly say that he had only seen the man genuinely surprised _once_ in all that time. 

 

This was that moment. 

 

Fury’s jaw went slack and his good eye went wide, gaze flickering between Coulson and the family on the couch. Darcy cackled at the man’s expression, Steve looked concerned for his well-being, James smirked, and Pepper simply continued to cradle Madoc close to her body and ignore everyone in the room. Tony sauntered up the for former director, well, he sauntered _gently_ seeing as Seren was peacefully sleeping, and nodded to the bundle in his arms.

 

“Look, Fury, I’ve got grandkids!”

 

Coulson could have sworn that Fury’s expression softened for the briefest of moments before he locked it down, returning to his typical gruff persona. Fury closed his eye and sighed, begrudgingly meeting Tony’s shit-eating grin. 

 

“Please tell me that you didn’t take all the liquor out of this place for the kids, Stark, because I need a fucking drink.”

 

xXx

 

After a couple drinks and a round of introductions Darcy herded everyone outside into one of the gardens. “Véurr has way too much energy to stay inside and since he refuses to let the babies out of his sight, we all go.”

 

Fury looked like he wanted to protest but a swift nudge from Véurr in the back of his knees had him moving quickly. It took a few minutes to get everyone settled on benches and on the ground due to the vast amount of people they had in the small space, but Darcy was pleased with the results. Pietro and Vision went out to run around and play with Véurr, Wanda promising to keep them linked in telepathically so they didn’t miss any important details. 

 

Darcy didn’t bother hiding her laugh at the scene in front of her. Here was Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and what remained of SHIELD, all sprawled out on the grass in the sunshine. Fury, of course, refused to lounge so he looked especially ridiculous in his black leather coat and a scowl as he tried not to let his exasperation show. The hilarity only grew when Coulson saddled up to his side, cradling Madoc in his arms. The man was so damn excited to meet her kids that Darcy immediately handed over the baby when Phil asked to hold him. The kids were three weeks old at this point, so they didn’t look _quite_ as fragile, but seeing them in the stoic Director’s arms made them look _tiny._

 

The former director gave up the pretense and groaned long and loud, “Are we ready yet? Do we need an acoustic guitar and a couple camp songs before we get going?”

 

Natasha was quick to pull Clint back down to the ground when he tried to stand up and presumably rush off to his rooms to get his guitar. Clint grinned shamelessly and gestured for Fury to begin. However, they were delayed once more when Bucky strode up to the man with a wriggly Seren in the crook of his elbow. 

 

“Here, Fury. Would you like to hold Seren?” Bucky had what they all called his ‘Soldier Mask’ on, a terrifyingly blank expression that never failed to send chills down everyone’s spine. Darcy had to clamp a hand over her mouth to smother her laughter; Bucky was such a goddamn troll. 

 

Fury’s gaze was wary, flicking between the baby in the Bucky’s arms and the Winter Soldier expression on his face. Sighing in defeat, Fury reached out for Seren. Once Bucky was sure the other man had her securely in his arms, he turned and gave the small audience a wink and strutted back to sit between Steve and Darcy. 

 

Now that both Fury and Coulson had a baby in their arms, the tense silence of the afternoon broke with Tony’s loud bark of laughter that was soon followed by everyone else. Even Fury managed a small upward twitch on his mouth before he shook it off.

 

“Alright, you little shits. I have a baby, Coulson has a baby, we’re sitting outside in a motherfuckin’ garden because I don’t even _know_ why. Can we _please_ figure out how the fuck we’re going to deal with Red Skull, now? Y’all are testing my goddamn patience.”

 

xXx

 

When it came down to it, the strategy ended up sounding a whole lot like ‘we have to wait for Red Skull to come to us, so everybody brush up on your defense.’

 

Well, it was a lot more detailed than that but Bucky thought it summed it up rather nicely. While he wasn’t too happy with the whole sit and wait for the big bad to show, Bucky was pleased that they didn’t have to move his family around. It was interesting to meet Coulson’s team (but hearing about how he came back from the dead? _Terrifying.)_ and the babies seemed to be soaking up all the extra attention like sponges. Stark, especially, loved having a couple more scientists around. 

 

Steve and Bucky were sprawled out on the couch together, Steve leaning back against Bucky’s chest and Bucky propped up against the armrest. It was reminiscent of when they were just punk kids in love back before the war, even though Steve was a good 150 pounds heavier and a good foot and a half taller. They were watching Darcy and Véurr play with the babies on the common area floor on a pallet of jewel tone baby blankets. Okay so Darcy was making funny faces at the twins while they kind of wriggled around like chubby worms, and Véurr just cuddled them close. But until the twins were actually big enough to be mobile on their own, or at the very least be a little bit more interactive, this was ‘playing.’

 

The rest of the teams were scattered around the facility, training or socializing (or in Natasha and Bobbi’s case, _both_ ). Tony had taken FitzSimmons to the labs Coulson had groaned about losing his team members to Darcy’s Wayward Scientists. To cheer him up, Darcy had FRIDAY order him a mug that read ‘UNCLE PHIL’ with a picture of him holding the twins on the couch. Bucky was pleasantly surprised at what a sap the Director was turning out to be. Fury had declined a similar gift, but Bucky could’ve sworn that he seemed a little envious.

 

He was broken out of his musing when someone cleared their throat at the other end of the couch. It was one of Coulson’s team members, Trip, if he remembered correctly. Bucky nudged Steve to get his attention moved from their girl and kids to the man wanting their attention. He admired how Tripp didn’t look uncomfortable at their intimate setting, if anything, the man looked pleased.

 

“I don’t mean to be a bother, but I wanted to introduce myself properly to you guys. My name’s Antoine Triplett, or Trip, but my grandfather was GabeJones. It’s an honor to meet you both.”

 

Steve and Bucky quickly disentangled their limbs from one another to stand and shake Trip’s hand. 

 

“Shit, didn’t think this would ever be a situation I would come across,” Bucky chuckled.

 

“I didn’t think I’d come across it either, but I’m glad I did. I grew up on stories about you two and the rest of the Commandos.”

 

Steve went a little red around the ears at that, causing Darcy to clap her hands gleefully and demand Trip sit down with her to tell her _all_ the dirty details. Bucky’s attention faded away from the conversation at hand and turned inwards, an unsettled feeling in his gut.

 

He wouldn’t trade the life he had now for _anything_ , really, he and Steve got a second shot at life, they found _Darcy_ and got to be _dads_ (Steve was Dad, Bucky was Pa or Pop), and they helped save the world. It wasn’t pretty getting here by any means, but he’d do it again if it meant he got this slice of happy right here.

 

But it was still strange to see their friend’s _grandkid_ and to be swapping stories with him. Would he and Steve have found dames to settle down with and had kids? Would it be their grandkids helping save the world now? Bucky’s head started to hurt with all the ‘what-ifs’ of it all, not liking the way his thoughts were devolving. He moved to sit next to Darcy, patting Véurr on the head before he picked up Madoc and cuddled him close. His _son_. Bucky looked around at his new mismatched family and friends. The Avengers and all their crazy mixing in with Coulson’s team and _their_ own form of crazy (don’t even get him started on Skye’s earthquake powers), but they were good, and he belonged.

 

Madoc cooed up and Bucky, his big blue eyes seeming to shine with happiness. _Yeah, kiddo, we’ve got a swell gig here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIP LIVES! because I say so, that's why.
> 
> also, because i'm lazy, I'm giving him the same earth-bending type powers he has in my other fic Wee Little Stark. so yay!


	13. Chapter 13

Anxiety was through the roof at the Facility. Almost two months had passed without word of Red Skull or Hydra, in fact, there was suspicious _lack_ of chatter. Coulson’s team stayed on at the facility to provide ’24/7 back up’ which Darcy thought was just a code for ‘waiting for the official offer from Stark to make this a SHIELD base too.’Judging by the chaos Tony and Jane were having in the labs with FitzSimmons, she didn’t think it’d take her Dad too long to extend the invitation.

Darcy rolled her eyes at their antics, already making a mental list of all the new rules the Wayward Scientists would need for the labs. She sat nursing Madoc while Bruce was examining Seren. The twins were (again, not so) surprisingly large for three-month-olds, but Bruce suspected it was the serum that was the cause. Darcy was just happy that her babies were whole and healthy and didn’t look like tiny muscled out people. She _may_ have had a couple irrational fears about what her super-babies would look like, all of which were thankfully unfounded. Seren and Madoc just looked closer to 5 months old than three, but they were just as chubby and happy as ever. 

Another great thing about the super-serum? The metabolisms. While it was tedious to have to feed the kids what felt like every half-hour, Darcy lost all of her pregnancy weight and then some. Bruce was being amazing, as usual, and developing some high protein and high calorie baby formula for the twins when it was time to ween. 

“Well, she looks good too, Darcy. Nothing to worry about except my usual warning—”

“To make sure I eat when I’m hungry?” Darcy rolled her eyes, “I know, Bruce. You’ve been telling me since I was nine weeks pregnant.” 

Bruce huffed with a smile, cradling Seren in his right arm while he rubbed her belly. She let out little gurgling noises that Darcy thought were laughs, and she beamed at the sight. 

“You ever think about kids, Bruce?”

Darcy expected him to be startled, but Bruce didn’t break his concentration from the baby in his arms.

“Not really. Even before the accident it wasn’t really something I wanted. My father…well, you know. I never wanted to risk the chance of turning into him. But now with the Other Guy, it’s not wise. You three may have transferred the serum to your children safely, but there’s no telling what _my_ version of it could do. Not to mention the sheer amount of radiation in my blood.”

Bruce didn’t seemed saddened or rueful as he spoke, just neutral as if he was stating facts. Darcy smiled softly at Bruce when he looked up at her.

“Besides,” he said, “I’m your Dad’s Science Bro, which kind of makes me your Science Uncle, right?” He laughed softly, “Between you and the twins here, I think I’m settled for any paternal instincts that may pop up.”

Trying to be discreet and failing, Darcy leaned down to place a kiss on Madoc’s head and wiped a tear that was threatening to roll down her face.

“Yeah, well I couldn’t ask for a better Uncle anyways.”

To save them from further sappy feelings, Véurr shoved the medical curtain aside with his giant nose and looked curiously between the four of them. Darcy had to stifle laughter each time she saw the dog because he was just so damn _huge._

He looked just like a Leonberger, but the top of his head came up to _Steve’s_ pecs. Véurr was enormous, to be blunt. Thankfully, the Facility was built to accommodate all sorts of enhanced people, Asgardian Princes, and the Hulk. Darcy thought back to Thor’s words that Véurr was the _runt_ of his litter and was terrified of what his litter-mates looked like.

Véurr stepped into the the area in front of Darcy where she sat on an examination table, whining as he looked between her and the babies. Realizing what he was thinking, Darcy was quick to reassure him.

“We’re all okay, sweetheart, I promise. Bruce was just giving them a check-up to make sure they’re healthy, and they are! Nothing to worry about.”

He still sniffed her and the babies curiously to make sure but quickly gave them that goofy doggy smile when he was certain that they were healthy. Véurr had become even more protective of Darcy and the babies since they had been born, unwilling to let them out his sight for very long. She couldn’t find it annoying since he was just so damn excited to help. He was still technically a puppy too, Darcy would remember, barely a year old, in fact. Everyone was just glad that whatever Asgardian magic that made the giant dog almost silent on his feet kept him from being clumsy like every other Earth-dog. 

Gently sliding to her feet Darcy situated Madoc into the baby sling she wore across her chest and was careful not to wake him. Bruce followed Darcy, who followed Véurr out of the medical wing and out into the hall that would lead them to the main building of the facility. 

Their small party halted when Bruce’s phone went off and he dug into his pocket to get it. He groaned at whatever message was and looked regretfully between Darcy and Seren. 

“One of the new assistants is touching things he’s not supposed to and now Jane and Simmons are tearing him a new one. I’ve got to go, is that okay?”

Darcy quickly nodded and easily took Seren in her arms as well. It wasn’t exactly _easy,_ to carry both babies at once, but it was something she had learned to do. As Bruce’s footsteps faded away, Darcy turned to furry companion.

“Well, want to go outside? It’s nice out and we could all do with some sun, I think.”

Véurr’s tail began waving erratically and he let out a soft _woof_ of agreement. After Darcy stopped by her apartment to grab a jacket and another baby sling to hold Seren they made their way to the path that ran around the facility’s buildings near the woods. It was still pleasant enough to enjoy the fading warmth of the season, the sun bright and high in the sky and making the changing leaves look stunning. 

So of course, that’s when the alarms went off.

xXx

Steve was sparring (or “exposing everyone to their foreplay” as Scott said) with Bucky when the klaxons went off. No one hesitated to stop what they were doing and immediately begin changing into their gear.

“FRIDAY, what’s going on?”

_“There is an unidentified aircraft in the Facility’s airspace that is not registered to any known entity. There are also a number of ground troops moving in on the location.”_

Steve cursed, “What’s your best guess for the number?”

If he didn’t know any better, Steve would have thought that FRIDAY was reluctant to answer. _“Perhaps a hundred or more, I am unable to say with any certainty.”_

Bucky swore in Russian as he pulled on his vest and practically shouted at the AI. “Where the hell is Darcy and the babies?”

Now Steve _definitely_ wasn’t imagining the worry in FRIDAY’s voice. _“She is alone with Véurr on the walking path on the Southernmost corner of the property.”_

Everyone began running from the gym at a breakneck pace when Steve asked the next question, knowing what the answer was going to be. “What direction are the troops coming from?”

_“The South.”_

xXx

Darcy ran as fast as she could with her babies strapped to her body, cursing her decision to go out of the facility _alone._

They had plans for everything. For every single situation and potential scenario that Hydra could possibly come up with. What they didn’t have plans for was Darcy being _alone_ with both babies and only Véurr as protection. 

Oh, she had no doubt that Véurr could protect them (watching him ‘train’ was a terrifying and awe-inspiring experience), but she knew that whoever was coming had _guns_ and she didn’t want him to get in the line of fire.

She put it out of her head as he led them almost silently deeper into the woods, trusting him to lead her and the babies to safety. 

xXx

Tony, Vision, and Sam took to the skies to distract the jet as well as lead them away from her location. Tony’s heart soared with relief when he saw Darcy’s location _ping_ on FRIDAY’s radar, knowing that his daughter was wearing her tracking bracelet. The microchip they gave Véurr certainly helped too. He relayed their location through everyone’s comm devices and prayed that someone could make it to them before things got any more dicey than it already was. 

He had barely finished speaking when FRIDAY showed dozens of goons making their way to Darcy and Véurr’s location. Before he could speak again, the two started moving, _fast,_ in the opposite direction back toward the base.

Tony rattled off the coordinates and shouted into the comms, “Someone get there, _now!_ Darcy’s alone with the babies and Véurr, they need backup!”

The next fifteen minutes were filled with only the sounds of fighting and dying goons, so loud that Tony almost missed Skye’s horrified question.

“Véurr, _where is Darcy?”_

xXx

They were deeper in the woods than Darcy could even comprehend but they continued to run like the hounds of hell were on their heels. Darcy and Véurr ran for what felt like hours but she knew were only minutes. Suddenly, Véurr skidded to a stop and pressed his ears flat to his skull and looked around frantically.

Gently, Darcy tapped him on his flank. “Incoming?”

He nodded.

“More than you can take?”

Another nod.

Darcy cursed and wiped the frustrated tears from her eyes, trying to figure out what to do. The babies were surprisingly silent during the whole event, unaware of the danger and uncaring of Darcy’s fast movements. The thought gave Darcy an idea.

“Are there goons between us and the direction of the facility?”

Véurr shook his head and turned his wise eyes on her, narrowing them like he knew what she was going to suggest and _did not_ like it.

“I’m going to give you the babies, okay? _Listen,”_ she hissed when he began to whine, “ _None_ of us will make it if we all sit here and wait for Hydra to find us. So you’ll take Seren and Madoc and _run_ , okay? You run as fast as you can and get them safe.” 

Véurr licked a tear from Darcy’s face, but nodded. He stood still as she gently yet tightly wrapped the baby slings around his torso and secured a baby to each side. Tears streaming down her face Darcy kissed each of her children’s heads and pressed a final kiss to Véurr’s. 

Tearing the bracelet from her wrist, Darcy tied it to an excess piece of fabric. At his questioning whine, she explained to Véurr.

“It’ll buy you time to get them safe. If everyone thinks I’m running back with you they won’t come looking. And if… _when_ I’m captured, it’ll buy the team time to get a plan together and get the babies safe before they come for me.” Darcy closed her eyes as her companion only whined harder, Madoc and Seren starting to huff and sniffle with the start of tears as well in response. 

“ _Please_ , please do this for me, okay, sweetheart? It’s our only shot. I trust you to keep them safe. Now _go!”_

Darcy thanked the gods that he did, the sound of footsteps approaching echoing loudly in her enhanced ears.

xXx

Véurr ran with everything he had. Darcy’s young were held securely to his sides and his paws struck the ground with as much force as he possessed. 

He would _not_ fail his master. He would protect her babes, then he would return for Darcy. If he could not find his master, Véurr would tear apart every member of this Hydra that he could sink his teeth into. 

His tongue lolled out of his mouth from his exertion when he finally made it to a clearing that was free of any ‘goons’ as Darcy called them. It took perhaps half a moment before one of their trusted friends to find him and the babies, who were now wailing for their mother. Véurr couldn’t prevent his whine even if he had tried.

It was Skye, the human who caused the Earth to shake, who discovered him. She was horrified, and rightly so, that his master was not at his side. As she spoke into the small device in her ear, he trotted up to her side so that she could untie the slings. He was grateful that Skye understood, even though she didn’t seem to have much experience holding them. Huffing in exasperation, Véurr plopped to the ground and tried to convey to her that she should put the babes by his side and that he would protect them. She understood, thank the Nine Realms. 

As he curled around the children, he looked to the edge of his woods and whined low in his throat.

_I will keep them safe for you, Master_ , Véurr promised, _but you must return to us._

xXx

Darcy remained kneeling on the ground after Véurr disappeared with Madoc and Seren, letting her tears roll down freely as she heard Hydra thugs move closer. As if no time at all had passed, suddenly there was a barrel of a gun pressed to the nape of her neck.

“Hands on your head, slowly.”

Darcy did as she was told and brought her hands to the crown of her skull where she interlaced her fingers. Rough hands then snapped what felt like heavy cuffs to her wrists and yanked her harshly to her feet. The angle of her arms and the force of the grip around metal had her crying out in pain. 

She kept her eyes open through the pain and made sure to memorize every face she saw as they surrounded her. Darcy raised an eyebrow but kept her gaze stoic otherwise as one of the men stepped forward into her space.

“Where are the kids?”

Darcy remained silent. 

Making sure to be obvious about flicking the safety off of his gun, the man asked again. “Where. are. the. _kids?”_

Darcy closed her eyes, and waited.

The loud _BANG!_ of the gun, she expected, she just didn’t expect the asshole to shoot her in her goddamn foot. 

_Be grateful you aren’t dead yet,_ she chided herself. Darcy gave herself a mental pat on the back for not screaming out at the searing pain of it.

She waited for another shot, but none came. What did come was so much worse.

“Now, now, Weber,” Red Skull’s voice rolled over Darcy like a tangible thing, the malice he felt for her causing her skin to recoil. “Miss Darcy here will tell us all we need to know, but all in good time.” He came to stand in Weber’s place, his appearance more monster than man and causing bile to rise in Darcy’s throat.

“It has been too long, my dear, don’t you think? We have so much catching up to do.”


	14. Chapter 14

 

Darcy wasn’t dumb enough to think that Red Skull would take her back to the same warehouse as last time, but she certainly hoped. Now that she wasn’t pregnant she knew that he wouldn’t be so mindful of her health, they’d do all that they could to make Darcy talk. And with her new handy-dandy super-serum? She could outlast what most people could handle. 

She straightened her shoulders as best as she could from where she was forcibly sat, wincing as her wrists and shoulders protested the slight movement. The goons had been smart to use chains instead of rope or handcuffs since it was likely that she’d be able to break out of those easily enough with her new enhancements. Unfortunately, that meant that Darcy was at their mercy. 

Darcy didn’t harbor any illusions as to how long she could last under torture, and she certainly had no intentions of being brave and holding in her screams. She wasn’t Natasha, or anyone else on the team for that matter. She wasn’t a superhero by any means. 

But she was a mother. And she’d take anything Hydra gave her, she’d wait for a rescue for as long as she could because Red Skull  _ could not have her children.  _ Darcy would happily cry and break over and over again, giving Hydra nothing, rather than give Hydra  _ anything _ about her babies. 

Seren and Madoc were innocent in the most literal sense of the word. They were raised by Avengers and surrounded by heroes, all of whom would do  _ anything _ to save them from living the same kind of bloody life they did. Darcy would  _ die _ before Hydra got their hands on them. 

The cell door opened, revealing a nondescript goon who’s face Darcy forgot as soon as she saw it. He dragged in a cart that was piled high with terrifyingly sharp instruments that made a chill run down Darcy’s spine. 

Letting her tears fall, Darcy closed her eyes.

xXx

Thor paced angrily in the war room as both the Avengers’ and Son of Coul’s team compared information about potential hide-outs where Red Skull could be keeping Darcy. He knew that it was necessary for them all to collaborate and to form a plan, but this was the  _ second _ time his lightening sister had been taken from him. He sent up a prayer of thanks to the Norns and to his mother that the children were not captured with her. They were all aware, via a translated conversation between Thor, Vision, and Véurr, that Darcy had willingly given herself up so that her children could be led to safety. Thor was proud of his sister for being so brave, but he was also angry that such a sacrifice was needed. 

The god could feel his magic building dangerously and knew that he was only moments away from bringing a horrible storm down on the facility due to his anger. He left the war room in search of fresh air, knowing that FRIDAY would notify him if he was needed. 

After he had calmed his inner storm, Thor took a deep breath and began walking back toward the facility. Specifically, he walked toward Darcy’s and her loves’ quarters. While Darcy was missing and Steven and Bucky planned, Jane had taken to help care for the babes when they were occupied. It had been three trying days, the children often looking for their mother and crying long and loud when she was not found. 

He paused in the doorway and smiled softly at the scene in front of him. Jane sat in the rocking chair the corner, somehow managing to keep both babes in her lap without any trouble. Thor almost laughed at the sight; the children were quite large, only serving to make Jane’s small stature seem even tinier as she sat. 

“...so that’s called the  _ Event Horizon _ , and it’s kind of a terrifyingly beautiful phenomenon when you think about it…”

Thor did chuckle aloud when his mind finally clued into what Jane was saying to the enraptured babies, causing the three to turn to him with a smile. His beloved looked exhausted, but never more beautiful. Both Seren and Madoc began huffing and grunting frustratingly, reaching their arms out toward Thor. It only took him two strides into the room before he was able to easily pick up Madoc out of Jane’s lap, kissing her soundly as he did.

“Well hello there, Nephew, is Aunt Jane teaching you the wonders of Yggdrasil?”

The babe just giggled at Thor’s booming voice and the scratchy kiss the god placed on his cheek.

“I tried everything to get them to nap, but apparently they don’t like my signing.  _ Space _ , however, seemed to be a winner for at least calming them down.” Jane smiled beatifically at little Seren who cooed up at her aunt. 

Thor laughed loudly, “Perhaps one day you shall have two more assistants under your tutelage.”

Jane managed a chuckle, but it fell quickly. “How are the guys holding up?”

Sighing, Thor took a seat in front of Jane and let his shoulders relax when she began running one of her hands through his hair. “They are as well as they can be, I imagine. Both search desperately for Darcy, though there is a part of them that is at peace knowing that their children are home safe.”

Everyone’s heart had bled at the scene that played out when Steve and Bucky learned that Darcy had surrendered herself. 

Both men had moved far quicker than anyone had seen before when they were informed of Véurr and Darcy’s supposed movement back to the base. Somehow during their fighting neither man had heard Skye ask Véurr where their beloved was, so when they arrived and did not see her there, they had broken when they did not see her.

Thor had seen many men and women break in his long life, but none had made him feel as if he were breaking alongside. Not until that moment. Steve had gathered Seren to his chest, Bucky doing the same to Madoc, and they cried. They were tears of relief that their children were not lost to them once more, but also tears of anguish. The babes had silently reached their small and clumsy hands toward their fathers’ faces, as if they were trying to reassure their fathers that all would be well. 

Clearing his throat of emotion, Thor brought himself back to the present moment. Madoc was peaceful in his Uncle’s arms as he slept, his breathing in time with his sister where she slept in Jane’s arms. Jane continued gently scratching her nails along Thor’s scalp and causing his tension to bleed out of his mind and body.

“Any leads?” Jane whispered.

“None that have been fruitful,” he replied just as softly. “But I have faith that she will be returned to us once again, dear Jane. None of us will rest until she is brought home once more.” Thor turned his head so that he could look up at his beloved’s face.

Jane was the most stunning thing in all of Yggdrasil and Thor’s heart clenched when he imagined being in Steve and Bucky’s place. How those men were still standing and not drowned in grief, Thor did not know. He could not bear to think of losing Jane and he feared as to what would become of him if she was lost to him.

Unlike Steve and Bucky, Thor wasn’t nearly as good of a man. For hundreds of years he was a bloodthirsty youth searching for war and glory, heedless of the repercussions. He was a foolhardy boy who thought he was untouchable by such petty and pedestrian things like consequences. 

It wasn’t until he landed in front of a brilliant mortal’s van that he began to learn of his mistakes, of the blood and guilt that covered him from head to toe. 

“What are you thinking of, Thor?” Jane traced his jaw with a delicate finger which he turned slightly to kiss.

Sometimes Thor wondered if Jane even knew just how much she changed him. Three days in her company, and he was born again. Jane was noble, righteous, and  _ fierce _ . She did not care that he was a Prince or that he was a god, she just saw the rude man who smashed mugs and had a superiority complex. Three days in Jane’s company, that man died and was reborn a much better man, a  _ worthy  _ man. 

“I am thinking of how much I love you, and how lost I would be without you.”

Jane flushed at his words, but didn’t break his gaze. “I love you, more than anything,” she whispered, “but you certainly could find your way without me.”

Thor had begun shaking his head before she even finished speaking. “You underestimate yourself, my love, but I hope that one day my words will convince you otherwise.” 

He reached into the pocket of his jeans for the small velvet box he had taken to keeping there. Thor knew that this was perhaps not the most romantic moment (he had spoken to Scott about Midgardian marriage proposal customs, which was a largely unsuccessful conversation) but he could not wait any longer. Shifting until he was on one knee in front of Jane, keeping Madoc as still as possible, Thor pulled the box from his pocket and placed it on Jane’s knee as he opened it.

“Marry me, Jane. Marry me, and let us live out our lives together. Either as mortals or Aesir, it does not matter, as long as I get the privilege to be at your side til the end of our time.”

Jane’s eyes were immediately swimming with tears, but she nodded frantically. “Yes,  _ yes _ , Thor, I’ll marry you.” 

As quickly as he could with the babe in his arms and the other in Jane’s, Thor surged up to kiss his beloved. He couldn’t help the smile that interrupted their kiss, smiling wider when he felt Jane’s own pressed against his lips. 

Together they placed the ring on Jane’s finger, admiring the way it glinted in the light. 

“Now,” Jane smiled, “What’d you do with that damn apple?”

xXx

Darcy wanted to cry, but she was too damn tired. Her head swam from the kick to the temple she received and her throat burned each time she breathed. Strangulation was her least favorite form of torture...so far. Who knows what they’d come up with next.

She had no clue how long she’d been held and tortured, but she assumed that it had at least been a couple of days. She wasn’t given any food, save for a granola bar once in awhile, though they did give her water. It was hard to drink, searing her battered throat on the way down, but Darcy forced herself to finish every bottle they gave her so that she’d at least have something keeping her alive if only for a short while. 

Whenever her torturer of the day left her, Darcy’s sluggish mind tried to figure out what the hell Schmidt wanted with her. He’d expressed interest in the babies, so she could only assume that he wanted them as future Assets. Like Natasha and Bucky, they’d be groomed and brainwashed until nothing of  _ them _ was left, leaving behind empty shells,  _ weapons _ , for Schmidt to use for whatever purpose he wanted. 

Darcy didn’t even have the energy to throw up though her body desperately wanted to at the thought. 

Focusing, Darcy thought back to Schmidt. Why did he want her? She no longer was pregnant and she was very obviously not giving up her babies. He constantly asked for access codes to the facility, which seemed stupid since that’s where he fucking kidnapped her from. Schmidt still had a vested interest in Bucky and Steve, or rather, the serum. 

But why did he want to get into the facility?

Darcy groaned, wishing that Jane was here so she could use her big brain--

_ Jane. _

The Bifrost. 

Schmidt wanted Jane’s goddamn  _ portal. _

xXx

Bucky silently thanked Jane and Thor for watching Seren and Madoc for him and Steve, gently taking his baby boy from Jane. They had been in the War room for  _ hours  _ talking about leads and strategies, but now it was time for family. 

Steve and Bucky promised each other that they wouldn’t lose sight of their family, even if they had to search for Darcy for the rest of their lives. Seren and Madoc  _ needed _ their Dad and Pop, and they needed their children. 

Bucky gently swayed as he held Madoc, looking at his son’s face in wonder. Even after the past three months, and the nine months before that, Bucky still had a hard time understanding how he got so damn lucky. Here he was with Steve, having found each other after a lifetime of hell and ice. And things only got better when they both fell in love with the same woman, and decided to chase her together. What good was getting a second lease on life if you didn’t do jack shit with it?

He thought he’d died and gone to heaven when Darcy said  _ yes _ to being with them, that it was something she wanted even before she discovered she was pregnant. Bucky and Steve were on cloud nine, which of course meant the universe had to tear them apart. 

Steve started humming under his breath, a soft tuneless lullaby to keep Seren from waking. Bucky felt his throat close up with emotion as he watched (his boyfriend? That sounded so childish, but  _ lover _ sounded corny as hell) Steve with their daughter, knowing that the only thing that could make things better is if Darcy was with them. He walked over and placed a kiss against Steve’s cheek, lingering there to breathe him in.

Everything was such a goddamn  _ mess _ , and Bucky had no idea how to make it right. Steve turned his face so that their foreheads rested against one another.

“I’m scared, Buck, I’m scared as hell.”

Bucky fought with everything he had not to let his tears fall at Steve’s broken whisper. “I know, Stevie, I am too. But Darcy is  _ strong _ , she’s going to come home, I promise.”

Together they looked down at their children, seeing their mother in the shape of their lips and noses, and knowing that their eyes were the same ice blue as hers. They’d bring Darcy home, because Bucky would be damned if their kids lost their mom before they even had her.

xXx

Now that she knew what Schmidt was after, Darcy felt like she finally had...not energy, but perhaps determination to get herself out of this mess. She wasn’t sure if she could pull the whole self-rescuing-princess card, but she sure as hell would try. Schmidt was probably planning a trap for the team when they finally discovered where she was. They’d bring everyone, they’d declare war of Schmidt, but they’d leave the facility practically defenseless when they did.

Then Schmidt would take Jane’s research, if not Jane herself. 

_ Fuck that, _ Darcy thought.  _ Like hell if this Red Dick thinks he’s going to get away with anything. _

Darcy had to bide her time and wait for the best moment to escape. It was hell on her already shattered patience, but now she had a new goal. Before, it was keep Red Skull away from the Avengers, now it was keep the Avengers away from Red Skull. 

It might have been hours or days, but finally, Darcy found her moment. Swallowing down the pain and fear, Darcy stumbled to her feet and slipped into the shadows.

It was time to wait. 


	15. Chapter 15

Bucky was glad that Thor had wanted to spar; he had far too much anger and anxiety to sit inside any longer and Thor was one of the few who could handle everything Bucky threw at him.

They hadn’t caught wind of Darcy or Red Skull in three weeks.  _ Again. _

How is this something that required an ‘again?’ Why couldn’t Bucky keep her  _ safe? _

Bucky’s blows started raining down harder on the Asgardian as his inner turmoil grew. Lightning arced between his metal fist and Thor’s hammer but the pair continued to fight. In the back of his mind Bucky knew that things were getting out of control and that he needed to step back, but he shoved it aside and continued to throw all of his anger and sadness into each punch and kick. Thor fed back his own emotions in some sort of twisted feedback loop that only made the intensity increase exponentially.

_ “Stop!” _

Thor and Bucky were blown apart by a flash of red energy, Wanda keeping them pinned on the ground with her powers as she yelled.

“You cannot keep going like this!” Her chest was heaving and her eyes alight with fury. “Do you not realize how close you were to tearing each other apart?!”

Bucky opened his mouth to protest but Wanda’s glare shut him up.

“We are all hurting that Darcy is still missing, and we all understand that you are hurting more. But you  _ cannot  _ let it destroy you from the inside! Both of you, it is as if your minds are nothing but a storm of chaos and  _ pain _ and I cannot take it any longer!”

She released them, but Thor and Bucky knew better than to think that they were allowed to move, let alone speak. By now their teammates had begun to gather in the periphery having been drawn in first by the sparring and now by Wanda’s interference.

“Neither of you will do Darcy, or  _ any _ of us, any good if you keep on like this. Do you understand?! She needs us to be a  _ family,  _ for fuck’s sake. So get it together!”

Everyone watched with baited breath as she turned around and began stomping her way across the practice field, Vision suddenly appearing out of nowhere and floating alongside Wanda. 

Bucky let his head fall to the ground with a thunk and closed his eyes against the sun on his face. He waited a few moments before speaking, recognizing the presence of Sam at his side.

“Are we about to have therapy?” He groaned.

Sam laughed, “Sorry man, them’s the breaks. If the telepaths say you’re a mess, you can bet your ass it’s time for a session.”

Bucky sighed, but he let his friend help him to his feet anyways. “Just make sure you go after Stevie next, it’s not fair if I’m the only one getting carted off.”

The other man shoved him playfully, “You’re acting as if I haven’t cleared the next four hours of my schedule for the pair of you. The two of you are gonna hash some of your shit out before we all go insane.”

Bucky hung his head and let Sam guide him back into the main building with a comforting hand on his shoulder. This wasn’t going to be pretty.

xXx

The thousands of letters on the paper in front of her began to blur with Pepper’s exhaustion. She’d been working out all of the kinks and finer details for the greater part of twelve hours, needing it to be  _ perfect _ . 

She was putting Darcy in Tony’s will, which ended up being a process that was far more complicated than Pepper had originally anticipated. Adding her in the will wasn’t difficult, but it was keeping her identity a secret that was causing difficulties. Tony wanted Darcy to get all the benefits that being his daughter would entail but without letting anyone actually  _ know _ that she was his daughter. Outside of the Avengers and now their trusted SHIELD allies, no one knew who Darcy was. 

Tony had brought it up a few days ago, after speaking with Sam. He had been suggesting to everyone that they find projects or small things of focus when they weren’t actively chasing leads on Darcy or Hydra (one perk of everyone’s obsession was that Hydra bases all over the world were systematically getting destroyed) to keep the sanity.

He had stormed into her office with the gleam in his eye that told Pepper that there was no saying ‘no’ to whatever idea he had. Not that she’d deny him much of anything, though. Tony had pitched the idea and barrelled into his reasoning before Pepper had even gotten a chance to voice her approval. 

“She’s my daughter, Pep, and she’s surrounded by crazy, she’s  _ had babies _ with crazy, and I want her to be...taken care of?” He had winced, knowing that he wasn’t conveying what he really wanted to. It was endearing, Pepper had always thought, that one of the most intelligent men in the world lost sense of all his words once he tried to talk about his feelings, especially when it came to people he loved.

“What I  _ mean _ is that I want her to know that I’m in this  _ forever _ , that we’re a  _ family _ .” 

Pepper had teared up then at his vehemence, and she was tearing up now at the memory. Her exhausted brain couldn’t handle the emotions of the memory paired with her own grief of missing Darcy. 

She hadn’t told anyone, but Pepper was adding Darcy into her  _ own _ will as well. She had been searching for Darcy a month after the babies were born, wanting to ask her to see if she could help her reason with one of their lawyers who was being a complete ass about something equally as asinine. Pepper had barely stopped herself from speaking when she entered the garden where FRIDAY had told her she could find Darcy.

Darcy was laying on a large blanket (Iron Man themed, of course) cuddling Seren and Madoc close with Véurr while Bucky and Steve helped train some new baby agents in the field beyond. Pepper had raised her phone to take a picture of the beautiful scene when she heard Darcy speaking. 

“You guys will love growing up here, I promise. It’s safe, and there’s always something interesting happening.” She smiled when Madoc blew a spit bubble, popping it with a finger and causing her son to giggle.”Seren, there’s so many bad-ass women for you to look up to here. Between the Avengers and SHIELD ladies, Jane, and my mom? You’re going to be  _ set. _ ”

Pepper had furrowed her brow in confusion. Darcy’s mother had died in childbirth, and her grandmother had died only a few years later.

“Mom’s great, she’s terrifyingly competent but also the nicest ladies I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. I’ve always considered Pepper on par with Frigga, that whole ‘queen of the universe’ thing that I’ve always admired. Maybe I’ll be like Mom when I grow up, kiddos. You think?” Darcy began tickling the babies and Véurr, her laughter loud enough that Pepper could slip back into the building with Darcy none the wiser about her presence. 

She only made it about partway down the nearest hallway before she had to stop and lean against the wall. Pepper was smiling as she cried, happier and humbled beyond all reason.  _ Darcy called her Mom! _

Pepper shook her head of the memory and stood from her desk, determined to get her husband to get out of the labs and go somewhere and do something that would have less destructive consequences if he got distracted.

Their daughter would need them both to be in one piece when they brought her home, after all. 

xXx

Tony sat at the conference table with Coulson and Fury, going over the paperwork and whatever important shit was needed to get Coulson’s team stationed at the Facility permanently alongside the Avengers. 

It wasn’t what he wanted to be doing by any means, but Pepper had finally shoved him out of the lab and told him to focus on something else. Tony wanted to rage at her just  _ how _ she expected him to focus on anything that wasn’t the fact that Red Skull had his daughter. His exhaustion had begun to clear in his anger, showing him that Pepper was wearing the same expression on her face. 

They were all just hanging on by threads these past three weeks, and they were so close to breaking. Tony had given Pepper a kiss and engulfed her in his arms, letting her shed a few tears on his shoulder before they went back to their day. Pepper had gone down to New York for a SI board meeting and Tony went in search of Coulson with his proposal. 

Despite all the shit that had gone down with SHIELD and Hydra (“SHIELDRA” as Darcy called it), Coulson was good people, his team was excellent, and the arrangement had the added bonus of making Fury’s good eye twitch in annoyance. The Avengers Facility was more than large enough for them all and to be honest? Tony didn’t want any of his family or teammates out of his sight ever again. If that meant adopting Coulson’s team into the fold, then so be it. 

Coulson and Fury were arguing over some small legalese error that Tony was ignoring when FRIDAY chimed in.

_ “Boss? A woman matching Darcy’s description has been found outside a local fire station just south of Frankfort, Kentucky. They’re taking her to the nearest hospital now.” _

Tony was already down the hall and summoning the Iron Man suit before his AI had even finished her statement, Coulson shouting into his comm’s right behind him.

“Coulson, you and yours stay here, we need this place covered while we’re gone,” Tony snapped. Thankfully Phil just nodded and bolted down a separate hallway to wherever the hell his team was. Tony paused half a second to let the final pieces of his suit get into place and for FRIDAY to open up a window for him, then he was airborne.

Steve’s voice sounded through his comm,  _ “Tony! What’s the plan?” _

_ “The plan is to go get our fucking girl, you punk!” _ Despite the tension, Tony chuckled at the incredulity in Bucky’s voice.

“I’m with Tin Man, Cap, I’m getting my goddamn kid.”

He let the sounds of the rest of his team assembling fade to the background as he pushed the suit as fast as it could go. He’d be damned if Darcy was alone for one more moment. 

_ “Boss, I’m getting reports of a large...crater, in no-man’s-land Kentucky. There’s bodies and debris everywhere, no one is sure what to make of it.” _

Tony full-on belly laughed, “Darcy took out the goddamn base, that’s what happened! She rescued herself.”

Pride swelled in his chest as Tony pushed the suit even harder, determined to get to Darcy first.

_ I’m coming, kiddo, I’m bringing you home. _

xXx

Darcy felt her body being jostled and voices overhead, but she was so exhausted that she couldn’t even open her eyes or open her mouth to ask the people what was happening. Instead, she floated. 

“What in the  _ hell _ is goin’ on?” The voice was masculine, rough, and had a bit of a twang to it. 

“I dunno, she was on our goddamn doorstep!” This voice was male as well, but clearly younger than the first. She could feel his hands holding something to her right side with heavy pressure, someone else mirroring him on her left leg. The younger man continued to speak, “I called 9-1-1, they’re sendin’ an ambulance our way.”

The older man began shouting to other people but stopped when the ground shook with the force of an earthquake. It was the sound of an explosion that was the only thing that made it clear that they weren’t dealing with a natural disaster. Darcy could feel everyone’s gaze on her as they tried to piece together what her appearance had to do with the explosion. 

The older man spoke again, “We should probably call the cops, I think this just got a whole lot more complicated.”

If Darcy could have, she would have laughed and rolled her eyes.

_ Buddy, you seriously have  _ no idea _ how right you are. _

Knowing that she was safe, both for the moment and for the foreseeable future, Darcy let herself slip into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter: Darcy, the self-rescuing princess!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Self rescuing princess time!
> 
> warning: there is some graphic descriptions of violence/torture here, so, caution and all that.

Darcy wanted to be offended at the lack of security that was outside of her cell but knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth. But still, it stung a little to know that they considered her to be less than useless when it came to her own self defense. She shrugged as she wiped the blood off of the scary medical blade she had taken from her torturer’s cart and stepped over the now dead man and the guard next to him. Their mistake, not hers, she mused. 

Her body was battered and surely broken in many places, the pain mixing with the strange feeling of her serum trying to knit her back together. Now that she seemed to be actively moving and away from the constant pain, her serum was kicking in, if extremely slowly. Darcy had to sit down in a hall closet for a few minutes to gain her strength and breath back before she tried to continue her escape. 

What felt like the next eternity passed as Darcy slowly and silently made her way down the hall, pausing to catch her breath and assess the next threat around each corner. Despite her waning strength and multitude of injuries, Darcy was still able to move quick enough to surprise anyone she came across and kill them quickly.

A small part of her mind wondered if she should be shocked at the ease with which she was killing all these people with, seeing as she’d never killed anyone before. She played her part in the disaster with the Dark Elves with Jane, but she was never aware if her actions directly caused another’s death. She slit another guard’s throat with indifference, reminding herself  _ why _ she was doing this.

_ Seren, Madoc, Steve, Bucky, JaneThorPepperTonyVéurr-- _

The list went on and on. Everyone she loved was in danger as long as Red Skull and his minions still breathed. She’d be damned before she let any of them step a foot out of this base and cause more harm to her family.

Darcy did notice that there were more ‘medical minions’ in lab coats than ‘jack-booted-thug minions,’ though the medical folk certainly carried more weaponry than other medical professionals she had seen. Her exhausted mind wondered if that meant she was in a lab rather than a stronghold for Red Skull. She shuddered, remembering what Bucky and Steve had told her about the maniac and what he got up to in the 40s, of all the human experiments he conducted. She made a note to check for any other innocent people before she tore this place to the ground once Red Skull was taken care of. 

When she heard multiple sets of footsteps coming from behind her Darcy lurched into the nearest doorway and locked herself in the room. She was in no state to be taking on more than one opponent at a time. Darcy held her breath until she heard the people move on from her hiding spot, letting it out in relief when the hallway was silent once more. She took a moment to assess her surroundings and smiled ferally when she saw she was what appeared to be the security room. 

Banks of computers lined one wall where the opposite side was lined with dozens of monitors, showing different hallways and other rooms as well as the whole bunch of nothing that was outside of the base, just miles of what looked like farmland. She saw a goddamn cow chewing on some grass in front of a camera, for shit’s sake. Where the hell was she?

More importantly, why wasn’t anyone in the room to begin with? Why bother with all of this security if no one was going to monitor the damn place? Darcy rolled her eyes when she heard a heavy snore coming from her left. Moving on silent feet Darcy made her way to the sound and tried not to groan in exasperation when she saw the sleeping guard under a desk, wrapped around a bottle of cheap whiskey (living with her Dad had taught her how to pick out decent booze at a glance, useless as the skill seemed to be). Darcy quickly dispatched the guard and stepped over his now still form to reach the lone office chair. She sat down heavily and took a moment to breathe.

So far it seemed as if no one had noticed her escape. Not surprising when the lone security guard was passed out with his booze and now lay bleeding out under his desk. None of the people she came across had any sort of radio, implying that there was some other form of communication they relied on. PA system, maybe? Darcy used her feet to roll her to the wall of monitors, grabbing a wireless keyboard off of a table as she went.

Darcy was a little rusty with her hacking, but she was able to get into the base’s system easily enough. Within moments Darcy had erased all video footage of her escape and subsequent killings, replacing it with looping footage of the hallways. She then shut down the PA system so that if she  _ was _ discovered, no one could set the place on high alert. She took her time to search each video feed for other people that Schmidt may have had kidnapped as well, but all she managed to find was a multitude of empty cells and rooms chock-full of medical equipment.  _ So this is definitely a lab, not a military base. Good to know. _ There would definitely be less soldiers around, making Darcy’s job easier.She was just about to map out an escape route when one particular room caught her eye.

It was Red Skull, in a  _ hospital bed.  _ Schmidt was hooked up to a whole mess of equipment and his breathing looked ragged. All plans of immediate escape blew out the window when Darcy laid eyes on him, rage filling her completely. Almost as if in a trance, Darcy stood and retrieved her blade from where it protruded from the dead guard’s body and exited the room. 

She needed to have a few words with Schmidt.

xXx

Schmidt wasn’t surprised at all when the Lewis girl opened his door, bloodied and broken yet still so defiant. He knew he was more pitiful than monstrous at the moment, frail and dying as he was.

He thought he’d have more time, but it seemed that the universe had not deemed him and his cause worthy.  _ Again. _

“You’re looking a little rough, Schmidt.” Lewis’ voice was empty, yet her eyes were alight with fire and fury that he almost had to respect. She didn’t require an answer, so Schmidt didn’t give her one. 

“Your security leaves something to be desired, though I’m certainly not complaining. Thought you might, though.”

Schmidt wheezed out a laugh, “You’d be surprised how difficult finding good help is these days, Miss Lewis. A pity, truly.”

She looked like she wanted to scream, to rage at him, but she maintained her composure.

“Why.”

It was a demand, not a question. “Why,  _ what? _ Miss Lewis, there are many things I’ve done that you will question, it would help for you to be more specific.”

His scream of pain was weak and hoarse when she brought down her blade through his left shin. The time for games was over, apparently.

_ “Why.” _

“Because I am dying!” Schmid yelled, his monitoring equipment letting out shrill alarms as his heart rate accelerated. “ _ I  _ was supposed to be Erskine’s greatest creation, I was to harold in a new age for Hydra, for the  _ world! _ But it was his damn Captain who took it away from me!” He groaned as the Lewis girl slowly pulled her blade from his body.

She did not speak, but Schmidt answered her unasked questions regardless. Lewis was his Reaper come to end him, there was no need for secrets now. “When I was on the  _ Valkyrie _ with your Captain, the tesseract transported me across the universe. I landed on a barren wasteland, inhabited by a small offshoot of the Chitauri.”

He smiled, remembering their idolization of him. “They were surprisingly primitive people, despite all of their technological advantages. They saw me as a  _ god _ .” Schmidt yelled again as Lewis’ blade made its way into his right shin.

“I’ve met gods, Schmidt, you’re certainly not one of them.”

He laughed around the pain as she once more dragged her blade from his body, “Who is to say, Miss Lewis? They certainly worshiped me like one. And,  _ oh, _ how distraught they were when their god began to grow ill.” He remembered the years of slow pain, his botched serum doing all it could to heal him on the alien world but unable to save him. “Word had come from another Chitauri soldier, about a plan to send an army to Midgard. I sent one of them, one of the ‘scientists,’ to follow, to  _ learn. _ He came back with knowledge of the tesseract, how it had been discovered on Earth once more. He was so  _ proud _ to have pleased his god with the information he had gained; hope that he could help save me.”

Miss Lewis’ disgust was evident on her face as he spoke and he laughed. “I disillusioned them no differently than your Asgardian’s people had disillusioned humans long ago, I did not lie. I simply did not correct their assumptions about what I was.”

“I know, but you are still a monster.” He winced as she drug the blade down the top of his left thigh, easily parting his flesh.

“How many men did you kill to reach me, girl?” He snarled, “What does that make  _ you, _ Miss Lewis?”

She shrugged as she dug the blade in deeper. “Perhaps I’m a monster as well,” she murmured, “But I’m also a mother. This?” she dragged her blade across his opposite thigh, not even flinching as his dark blood began to pool beneath him and he groaned in pain. “This is me protecting my family. I’m making sure that you can’t hurt my family anymore.” She removed the blade and met his gaze, “Finish your story.”

Schmidt wanted to fight her, to tear this damn girl apart for daring to command him, but his blood was seeping from his wounds and his already sick body was weakening further. His Reaper would only draw out his death if he did not comply.

“My Chitauri followers began working frantically to understand the new information, studying me and anything they could get their hands on to save me. That was when they discovered that somehow during my brief interaction with the Tesseract had left some... _ imprint _ of itself on me. Soon it was determined that there was enough residual power to transport me back to Earth, where I could heal and return to them. They had heard of their fellow Chitauri’s defeat and were eager for me to lead them into battle.

“When I returned to Earth I lived in the shadows, seeking out those still loyal to Hydra, to  _ me _ , so I could amass a force to defeat the world’s precious Avengers. However, I didn’t anticipate Earth’s atmosphere to accelerate my declining state.” As if punctuating his statement, his body began wracking with coughs.

“Between the serum, the Chitauri world, and my appearance back to Earth, by body began to shut down. I knew that my time grew short. So when I saw that not only was Captain Rogers was alive and well, but Sergeant Barnes? Well, I saw my solution. If  _ my _ serum was killing me, theirs would save me.”

He turned a shark-like grin on the girl, “Then  _ you _ arrived. One of my sources I had planted in the Avengers Facility told me of your involvement with the two men, of your pregnancy. It was a  _ sign _ . Their blood, their  _ serum _ , a perfect combination of their fathers’ to combat my own.”

Schmidt was expecting the feeling of Lewis’ metal blade piercing his flesh, but he still howled in pain as she dug the weapon into his right hip. He felt it through-and-through, pinning him to the bed. She still didn’t speak, though her hands shook with rage. He continued his tale around gritted teeth.

“It was so  _ easy _ to get that Boothby boy to turn against you,  _ scorned _ by your dismissal of him, your  _ love _ for the soldiers,” he sneered, growling as Lewis twisted the blade within him. “All I need was you and your children, providing me with enough serum to bring back my health. Then I could use Dr. Foster’s portal and return to my people, so we could bring down a war like none other you have ever seen.”

The Lewis girl rolled her eyes, as if she wasn’t torturing a man and pulling the blade once more from Schmidt’s body. “Loki already brought the Chitauri to Earth, it didn’t work so well for him. And nobody likes a copy-cat.”

Schmidt howled once more as she brought down the blade to his opposite hip, his head swimming as more blood poured from his wounds. He had scant minutes left, if Miss Lewis didn’t finish him before he bled to death.  

“I had hoped that your  _ lovers _ ,” he spat the word at her, gritting his teeth as she twisted the blade once more, “would come for you. That I could make my escape with the three of you before I expired. I would have no need for your children if the three of you were under my power. But, here we are, Miss Lewis.”

She hummed in agreement. “Here we are, indeed. But now I have a question.”

Head swimming with bloodloss, Schmidt was only able to tilt his head in question.

“I wonder how my family will feel about a trophy?”

His eyes closed just as the blade came down on his throat. 

xXx

Darcy unceremoniously dumped Schmidt’s severed head into a backpack she had found in the security office, wiping the blood off of her blade on the one white spot on the hospital bed.

This was fucked up, Darcy knew. But she had also been held and tortured,  _ again, _ for an unknown amount of time. She now had undeniable  _ proof  _  that Red Skull could no longer touch her or her family. Her dad and her fellas had mentioned wanting Schmidt's head on a platter before, so really, she was just bringing home a gift.

“Jesus Christ,” she muttered to herself, “We are so fucked up. Poor Sam. It’s gotta be a hard life of being a super-hero shrink.”

Darcy started making her way back to the security office from before, uncaring that she was making a hell of a lot of noise. The dead couldn’t stop her, after all. It had taken her far more time than she had liked, but she managed to kill every goon in the base before she made her way to Red Skull, not wanting any surprises while they... _ talked _ .

Once back in front of all the monitors, Darcy tapped into the base’s security system, eyes going wide when she saw there was a  _ self-destruct _ protocol. She had simply planned on wiping the system and sending out an SOS, but  _ this _ was certainly a lot more fun. She saved the audio and visual recording of her discussion with Red Skull onto a thumb drive she found. It wasn’t that she wanted her family to see her ruthlessly torture and kill a man, but rather because she knew she’d be too exhausted and traumatized to relive the experience by telling them what happened. Darcy slipped the drive into her pocket, thankful that it was deep enough that the drive wouldn’t fall out.

She set the timer for forty minutes then began running as fast as her injured body could take her. There had been a couple of goons who had put up a fight and got a few good hits in, but Darcy was better. Within five minutes Darcy was out of the facility and gulping fresh air as fast as she could, fighting tears the entire time.  _ Not out of the woods yet, _ she chided herself. She fought against her protesting body as she continued to run, dropping the bag behind a tree at what she hopped was a far enough distance from the future bast zone. Darcy could see what looked like a town in the distance and figured that no one would be too inclined to help her if she showed up with a severed head in her backpack.

She kept running, mindless of the blood pouring out of her wounds and the aches and pains from her previous torture sessions.  _ Just a little further, _ she chanted to herself,  _ just a little further.  _ Darcy let a few relieved tears fall when she came to the first building and saw that it was a fire station. She prayed that they were the good guys and collapsed after pressing a buzzer on the door, hoping that someone would find her. 

She floated through the shocked yells by whoever found her and their following conversations. She floated through the ground rocking with the force of the explosion of the base. And she floated when she was lifted onto a stretcher and put into an ambulance. 

Now she just had to wait until her family found her. Darcy let herself succumb to sleep when she felt the pinch of a needle in the crease of her elbow and the cool feeling of medication rushing through her veins. 

xXx

Tony kept moving once he landed in front of the hospital, not caring about the stares he was receiving from the locals in the parking lot. He could have just crashed through a window, sure, but he promised Pepper he’d be discreet.

Not that the Iron Man suit was discreet by any means, but beggars couldn’t be choosers and all that. FRIDAY’s voice echoed through his helmet.

_ “Boss, Darcy is on the seventh floor, north side, room 732.” _

Bucky’s voice was gruff, heavy with anticipation as he spoke,  _ “ETA twenty minutes, Tony, let us know what you find.”  _

None of them wanted to admit it out loud, but there was a small chance that it was a trap. Tony didn’t believe it for a second. Something in his gut, his  _ heart _ , was telling him that this was the real deal: Darcy was  _ here. _

Despite the circumstances, Tony was still a little shit at heart. He gave a jaunty wave to the medical staff and security that stood around the entrance.

“Hi! Don’t mind me,” he called, “just here to visit.” He whistled as he made his way into the elevator, nervousness rolling through his veins. FRIDAY had said Darcy,  _ or the girl who matched Darcy’s description _ , was alive, though she was in the ICU for a multitude of injuries. 

Tony rounded the corner per FRIDAY’s instructions, not even surprised to find what looked like a handful of rent-a-cops outside of Darcy’s rooms. One had a hand on his gun, causing Tony to sigh.

“Son, just don’t.”

There was silence on the comms before Steve’s incredulous laughter broke through.  _ “Seriously, Tony?” _

He shrugged as he pushed his way past the cops, “It seemed cool when you did it, I’ll admit. Felt pretty satisfying, too.” Tony shut up when his eyes fell on the body in the bed, chest twitching painfully at the sight. 

It was Darcy, there was no doubt about it, but she looked so broken and  _ small _ . She was covered in blood and bandages, scrapes on her knuckles and what looked like old bruises on whatever patch of skin peeked out from behind the sterile bandages. FRIDAY seemed to understand his silence when his teammates began asking a million questions, answering them for him and letting him out of the suit.

Tony stumbled to the chair next to the bed and fell into it gracelessly, reaching out a shaking hand to rest over Darcy’s. She was  _ alive _ , she could come  _ home. _

“We missed you, kiddo,” he whispered, “thought we’d need to stage a daring rescue, but it looks like you took care of it yourself. I’m proud of you.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her brow, pulling back quickly when she shifted and groaned in pain.

“Dad?” Her voice was scratchy so Tony quickly put a cup of water to her lips to help her drink. She seemed to panic for a moment before she realized where she was, extending a hand toward Tony that he gripped gently.

“You’re okay, kiddo, you’re safe.”

Darcy’s eyes began to fill with tears, and Tony knew that his were no better. “Is everyone okay? Are they safe?”

He let out a strangled laugh, not at all surprised that his kid would be beaten to hell and still ask about everyone else. “Yeah, Darcy, they’re safe.”

She cried in earnest at his reassurance, His words letting all of her worry and fear break through whatever barriers she had built to keep it together as she escaped. She let out wails and giant heaving sobs as she pulled Tony to her. He quickly sat himself on the edge of her bed and pulled her close to his chest, letting her sob as much as she needed to.

If he let out a few tears himself, well, nobody would blame him. 

“I’m giving you a goddamn chip like Véurr, I swear to god.”

He smiled as she laughed wetly before she started sobbing anew. “I’m sorry! I’m s-sorry, Dad, I  _ had to--” _

Tony pulled her tighter to him, mindful of her injuries. “Hey,  _ hey,  _ don’t be sorry. You saved Madoc and Seren, don’t you  _ dare _ apologize for protecting your family. You got them out, you made them  _ safe.  _ None of us can blame you for that, kiddo.”

He sat with Darcy until she cried herself to sleep a couple minutes later, keeping her close even as Bucky and Steve barreled through the door.

If the three men sat huddled close around Darcy and cried together, well, no one would get any proof, that was for damn sure.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe not as climatic as some would have liked (i wasn't feeling a big fight scene, for some reason this seemed to fit in my head better, who knows) but i'm happy with it
> 
>  
> 
> I just want to thank you all for your continued love and support because you guys are AWESOME AND I LOVE YOU
> 
> not sure how many more chapters this will be, so we're just going to ride this out together and see what my brain comes up with. woo! that's how all my other stories get written too, seems to work okay.


	17. Chapter 17

Natasha surveyed the crater in front of her, her expression never betraying the multitude of emotions rolling through her. The loudest emotions were pride and fear, which she didn’t want to look at too close at but knowing she had to.

She was proud of Darcy; her friend ensured that only  _ she _ would be captured, was able to keep it together under torture, and then rescued herself as she destroyed her captors. 

She was scared for Darcy; Natasha knew that Darcy wasn’t a killer, not at heart like most of the team. But looking at the damage in front of her? She knew that Darcy would have had to kill at least a dozen men just to ensure her safety. Natasha, as well as the rest of the team, had blood on her hands longer than she didn’t. She knew how to handle the guilt, the way the burden weighed on her soul. Darcy didn’t. 

When Jane and Darcy first moved into Avengers Tower after the Battle of New York, there was an unspoken agreement between every member of the team to keep the women away from all the ugly, or as much as they could, anyhow. They were already a band of broken heroes, they didn’t need innocent friends getting tainted by their hands. However, it didn’t work as well as they wanted it to.

Jane was dating a Norse god/alien who was the crown prince of a different realm so there wasn’t a whole lot of hope for keeping her sheltered from it all. Thor would keep her protected, that they all knew, but he also painted a large target on Jane’s back just from being with her, as well as her Bifrost research did. 

Darcy was a lost cause from the very beginning. The girl was constantly poking her nose into the team’s business, making sure that they were  _ taken care of. _ Natasha isn’t proud of all the suspicion she harbored over the first months of living in the Tower with Darcy, but she couldn’t fight a lifetime of training. Darcy took it upon herself to take care of the world’s maddest scientists (she had T-shirts made up and there was a picture of Darcy hugging the Wayward Scientists like a proud mother on display in Tony’s lab. It never failed to make Natasha smirk when she saw it), then slowly moved on to taking care of ‘her supers’ as she had called them.

She began with Clint, who was still dealing with the aftermath of Loki’s influence, which immediately had all of Natasha’s hackles raising and caused her to shadow the pair wherever they went. Clint of course knew that she was there, but Darcy was clueless. The younger woman would take Clint out of the tower, forcing fresh air and socialization on him. When she couldn’t cajole him into going outside, she would ask him questions about archery, prompting Clint to start hours-long lectures about the best type of bows and arrows. Natasha knew that Darcy didn’t care at all about archery, but she saw the distraction tactic for what it was. Between the ‘field trips,’ medieval weapons history, and late night post-nightmare cuddles, Clint slowly became himself again. 

Steve was next on Darcy’s list, and again, Natasha observed. Part of her was still suspicious of Darcy but the rest of her was anxious to see how the man out of time would deal with a true modern woman. It was hilarious, to say the least. Steve wasn’t sure what to do with the ball of energy and sarcasm that was Darcy Lewis, barely able to keep up with the endless references and barbs of wit that poured out of her mouth at an alarming rate. But Steve admired her, Natasha could tell, and it was the only reason he seemed to let Darcy drag him around for pop culture lessons involving marathons on netflix and dozens of trips to the bookstore. As Darcy brought Steve into the twenty-first century, Steve let Darcy (as well as the rest of the team) see the  _ real  _ him too. He began sketching again, dragging Darcy and whoever he could to art museums at any given time to show them what he was passionate about. Steve began to seem... _ settled _ , Natasha thought. The man was still drowning in grief from waking from the ice in a brand new world, but  _ Steve _ was waking up too. Natasha never thought Captain America was such a goddamn troll. 

Between her Wayward Scientists, Clint, Steve, and even Pepper, Darcy was a busy girl the first six months at the Tower. She had earned Natasha’s trust by then, after all that time observing, so Natasha had come out of the shadows to interact personally with her. 

She had left the shooting range to find Darcy, JARVIS telling her that the younger woman was alone in the common-room kitchen. On silent feet, Natasha made her way into the room and started for the counter where she could sit and speak to Darcy as she cooked. All of Natasha’s plans for cooly insinuating herself into Darcy’s space were shot to hell when she recognized the scent wafting from the stove.  _ Pelmeni _ . Natasha fucking  _ loved _ Pelmeni, though she hadn’t had it for years. No one on the team knew about her love for the Russian dumplings, causing her hackles to bristle and her suspicions to rise again. 

Darcy spoke from where she stood at the stove, not even bothering to turn around. “I wasn’t sure if Pelmeni was a good choice or not, but seeing as I’m not dead yet, I’ll take that as a yes.” She began plating the dumplings and placed them on the counter in front of Natasha before grabbing a bottle (a very  _ nice _ bottle) of Natasha’s preferred vodka from the freezer, babbling all the while. 

“You’ve been shadowing me for months, which I  _ totally _ understand, I do! I wouldn’t trust some noob around me and mine either, but I’m a nurturer at heart and I couldn’t stop myself. You guys are  _ amazing _ , yet you guys were just a spark and gasoline from imploding on yourselves. So I did my thing. Jane calls it mother henning, I just call it looking out for my friends. So I was kind of hoping that after all this time you and I could take a crack at being friends? Or if that’s not your thing, maybe we could at least step up from person-and-their-shadow status.”

Natasha raised her brow a millimeter, the only way she knew how to convey surprise. She could honestly say that no one had asked to be her friend before and it did something funny to her heart. Natasha looked at the woman in front of her, the way she was nervously wringing her hands yet didn’t break eye contact with who was arguably the deadliest assassin on Earth. Darcy had managed to worm her way into everyone’s hearts, and Natasha had never seen the team be so cohesive. All due to Darcy’s love and care. 

In a rare moment of vulnerability, Natasha let her defenses down. “I think we can manage friends,” she smiled, “as long as your Pelmeni tastes as good as it smells.”

The Russian brought herself back to the present moment when Vision floated up next to her, his eyes on the smoking crater as well. “It was JARVIS who informed her of your surveillance,” the android said.

“Why?”

He smiled, “She already had taken after everyone else's needs so thoroughly, including my past form’s. Darcy would speak to JARVIS-- _ me, _ like I was just another person in the room. We were quickly friends. I...cared for her, just as I cared for Tony’s wellbeing. I could see how she was helping the team, and even how she was helping myself become more than just the tower’s AI.” He began to chuckle,  “When I noticed you shadowing her and informed her, do you know what she said?”

Natasha shook her head, warmed by Vison’s joy, “Darcy just told me not to worry, that you were like a stray cat: she could only let you know that she could care for you, but it had to be on your terms or else she would ‘get the hell scratched out of her.’ Then four months later, she made you Pelmeni.”

Before Natasha could even think of a response, Vision snapped his head to the right, eyes narrowing at the line of trees. “Véurr has found something.” 

“Judging by the look on your face, it’s not good?” she asked dryly.

“I do not know, but he says that the entire team should gather when he brings it back. He says that it will be...illuminating.”

xXx

Véurr was pleased that no one tried to stop him when he ran on the quinjet to join the team’s retrieval of his master. He did not like leaving the babes for long, but he knew that they would be safe with Jane and Pepper for the time being. 

He paced along the jet as they soared, a low rumbling growl constantly escaping his throat. Véurr did not enjoy flying (he had four legs and no wings, just as the Norns intended,  _ thank you _ ) and the stress of the last few weeks were threatening to overwhelm him. 

“Véurr, come here, please,” Burce called softly, startling Véurr enough to stop his pacing. He moved to the back of his jet where his friend sat, tilting his head in question. While Bruce could not speak with him as Vision, Wanda, or Thor could, Bruce was apt at communicating with him better than most. Véurr let out a deep sigh when his friend began scratching him behind his ears and leaned his head down so Bruce could reach better. It was strange to tower over his friend where he stood, so he laid down with a heavy thunk at Bruce’s feet. 

“I know me telling you that Darcy will be okay isn’t what you want to hear,” Véurr huffed at the accuracy of the statement, causing Bruce to chuckle as he continued, “ _ But _ , you know she will be. She’s a tough one, and she’s got a lot to fight for. Darcy knew we would come after her, but she’s already gone and rescued herself.”

Véurr whined in a way that he hope conveyed his displeasure at... _ everything _ . Darcy should be home and  _ safe, _ not at the hands of some monster.

“I agree, she shouldn’t have to rescue herself because she shouldn’t have been taken from us, but we can’t change that. What we  _ can _ do is bring her home.” Véurr growled, prompting Bruce to chuckle again. “Well, bring her home and dismantle Hydra, maybe Red Skull’s head on a platter?”

Sam groaned from where he sat a short distance away. “ _ Guys, _ you can’t be sayin’ that shit around me. I may be a therapist, but I am  _ not  _ qualified for that level of fucked up.”

Véurr and Bruce shared a look then cast it at Sam, who threw his hands up in surrender. “Fine!  _ Fine. _ I want Schmidt’s head on a platter too,  _ sue me. _ I just want it on the record that being part of the Avengers family has fucked with my head irrevocably.”

Next to Sam, Scott nodded along. “Yeah, we’re like a way more deadly version of  _ The Adam’s Family. _ ” Shrugging, he turned to Véurr, “Hey, question: if I shrank, would you let me ride on your back or something? I can’t help but to think it’d be fun as hell and look epic.”

Véurr nodded. While Scott was one of the stranger humans he knew, the man meant well.  

Back in the present moment, Véurr shook the memory from his mind as he stared down at the the pack he found in the woods leading to the town. He had been searching the surrounding area for survivors (immensely pleased when he found none; his master was a formidable woman, indeed) when he caught the scent of something foul. He followed his nose until he reached the source: a backpack tossed against the base of the tree. The scent smelled rotten, like a months old corpse. He wanted to see what was inside of it, but could not open the bag without destroying it completely.

He felt Scott hop off of his back and return to his normal size next to him. “What’s going on, Air Bud?” Véurr ignored the reference (mortals had strange forms of entertainment) and simply nudged the bag with his paw, hoping that Scott would understand what he wanted. Thankfully, the man did.

“Alright, let’s see what’s in the random bag.” He kneeled at Véurr’s side and nudged his shoulder, “There’s not a bomb in here right?” Scott waited for Véurr to shake his head before he began searching for a zipper. “Okay good, because it looks like Darcy already went a little C4 happy with the base, and I don’t think we need any more--HOLY SHIT!”

Scott dropped the bag as if he had been burned and immediately stood while he began hopping around and making strange gagging noises. “THAT WAS NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING, OH MY GOD!” 

Véurr ignored the strange man and instead peeked into the bag and bared his teeth in a twisted grin at what he found. Without wasting a moment he took the bag in his mouth and began running back to where the jet had landed, calling for Vision in his mind.

_ Gather the team. _

xXx

Steve, Bucky, and Tony stood over Darcy’s sleeping form on the quinjet, afraid to leave her side now that she was back. Bruce was kneeling next to the cot, administering IV’s to rehydrate Darcy and to replace blood that she had lost. 

“Hey,” Sam called from behind them, “Véurr found something and he won’t show us until you’re there too. Says it’s important.” 

The three men shared a look, none of them wanting to leave her side. Sam held up a hand to stave off any protests, “You know I would never ask you to leave her, but Véurr looks like he’s about to have a stroke outside waiting on you four. Just come to the ramp at least, yeah?”

Steve nodded and clapped Bucky on the shoulder, “Okay, let’s go.”

The four of them followed Sam back out of the quinjet but stopped at the middle bottom of the ramp, Steve raising a questioning eyebrow at Véurr who was holding a backpack and looked like he was about to vibrate into the stratosphere with all the energy thrumming in him.

The giant dog made his way to Steve where he stood between Tony and Bucky, and dropped the bag at his feet where the metal of the ramp hit grass.

“Véurr says that he discovered Darcy’s trophy in the woods with Scott, but knew you three, as well as the rest of us, would be pleased by it.” Wanda’s voice was laced with confusion, but she translated for Véurr regardless and waited for the reveal with the rest of them. 

The dog then knocked the bag on its side, the contents spilling out onto the grass. 

There were shocked gasps and cries from everyone, Wanda even jumping back a few steps from the severed head. Sam began grumbling under his breath as he turned his back, looking to the sky and asking Heimdall would take him away from this goddamn mess, just for a little while. Everyone began shouting at one another, both appalled and pleased by what they were seeing.

Steve ignored everyone, though, his eyes only focused on Schmidt’s severed head lying at his feet.

It was...heady. To see his greatest enemy’s head at his feet. To have undeniable  _ proof _ that he and his family would be safe from Red Skull’s plotting, that they would no longer be looking over their shoulder out of fear. It broke his heart, as well, knowing that Darcy had to do this to ensure her safety. That Darcy had to kill about twenty men (that was their best estimate from the size of the compound) as well as Schmidt. He didn’t blame her, nor did he pity her. Darcy accepted his bloody hands, and Bucky’s, as well as the rest of the teams’. She loved them all for what they did, what they fought for, and understood that you didn’t always walk away clean. Steve would never have wished for her to reach  _ this _ particular level of understanding, though.

Bucky sighed as he stared down at Schmidt’s head. “This is fucked up.”

Steve nodded in agreement.

“But I’m proud of her.”

Another nod.

Bucky lowered his voice so only Steve and his enhanced hearing could pick up his words, “Is it weird that I feel like we should start thinking about getting our girl a ring?”

Steve smiled and shook his head, having been thinking the same thing. His smiled grew at his love’s next words that were spoken so everyone could hear, as if his previous question to Steve didn’t happen.

“Even though she just guaranteed us a lifetime of therapy together.”

Steve managed a dry chuckle as Sam shouted, “YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT YOU ASSHOLES ARE GETTING THERAPY!”

On Steve’s other side, Tony fiddled with something small in his hand as he looked between the head on the ground and his teammates. “Got this from the security guards,” he held up the USB so everyone could see it, “Said they found it in her pocket. Who wants to bet it’s a peek as to what the hell happened in the base that Darcy left for us?”

xXx

Darcy woke to the sound of several people speaking quietly around her and the steady, rhythmic, beeping of a heart rate monitor. From what she could tell it was only Steve, Bucky, Tony, and Pepper in the room with her, for which she was grateful. She smiled slightly when she heard Véurr’s deeps breaths below her, imagining his comically giant form squeezed up against her bed.

“Doll, you awake?” Darcy nodded at Bucky’s voice but didn’t bother to open her eyes yet. She wasn’t ready to face everyone.

The adrenaline and fear that had been driving her for the past however-many days she was held and whatever boost fueled her escape had long left her. Behind her closed eyes she could see every person she killed, could see their blood pooling on the floor and slipping through her fingers. Her hands held a phantom blade and felt cold in her grasp. 

She didn’t realize she was crying until she felt Steve’s hands gently wiping under her eyes. 

“Sweetheart, shh, it’s okay, you’re  _ safe.” _

Was she, really? When she had all those lives weighing on her soul? When she realized just how monstrous she could be?

Metal fingers gently pressed against her lips, causing her eyes to snap open and her mouth to stop moving. Oh. She was talking out loud then. Embarrassing. She met everyone’s wet eyes with her own, tears pouring down her cheeks. 

There was a timid knock on the door that distracted everyone for half a second before Tony stood to crack open the door and speak to whoever was on the other side. 

Just as Darcy was about to ask who it was Steve leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to her lips, Bucky mirroring him as soon as he pulled back.

“So glad you’re safe, doll,” he whispered. He pressed his forehead to her temple, simply breathing Darcy in as Steve did the same on her other side. Darcy’s whole body trembled with quiet sobs as she soaked in their love. She was  _ safe. _

“Hey, kiddo,” Tony called quietly, “I’ve got two tiny humans here who would love to see you. Up for it?”

That safe feeling was gone in a flash, replaced by dread and fear and heart-breaking hope. She wanted to see her children more than she wanted to  _ breathe _ , but memories of her escape from Schmidt’s base were still playing in her head. How could she hold her children with the hands she used to kill thirty men? (She didn’t mean to, but she had counted as she went, unable to stop the reflex).

It was Steve’s turn to put a finger against her lips to shut her up, but his eyes were sympathetic and filled with understanding. “Bring them in, Tony.”

Darcy shook her head violently, casting her gaze from person to person and hoped that someone would help her and finding none. She looked to Tony where he was opening the door for Thor and Jane.

She couldn’t even be pleased to see her friends because all the fight went out of her when she saw them carrying her children. Sobs wracking her body harshly, Darcy tried to sit up and reach for her babies and grunted in frustration when her body felt too weak to hold her up. 

Steve and Bucky helped her up, sliding behind her on either side to support her as Seren and Madoc were placed in her arms.

And they were  _ smiling. _

Darcy had never cried harder in her life than when Madoc and Seren reached for her face and babbled in their baby-speak, tiny gummy smiles scrunching up their faces. Despite her tears Darcy’s babies snuggled into her arms when she pulled them close, uncaring of her shaking body.

Tension leaked out of her body and her sobs began to subside when Steve and Bucky started rubbing comforting circles on her back and encircling her and their children in their arms. Tony and Pepper sat as close as they possibly could on the bed, Véurr placing his enormous head in Pepper’s lap. On her other side, Jane and Thor pulled up the now vacant chairs and crowded close. 

Darcy let the feeling of safety overcome her senses as she melted into a puddle of emotions, surrounded by her family. She was  _ home _ .


	18. Chapter 18

Sam leaned back in his ‘therapist’s chair’ (he doesn’t know how the name got started, but suddenly it was a  _ thing _ ) and tried to be as non threatening as possible. Not that Darcy would perceive him as a threat, but because she was already uncomfortable as hell and he didn’t want to make it any worse. 

But they were in therapy. It was only going to  _ get _ worse. Then, hopefully, it’d get better. He’d waited three weeks before calling Darcy her in, wanting to give her time to adjust some after she pulled her own self-rescue.The team had watched the encounter between her and Red Skull, and honestly? Sam had his work cut out for him. 

“So I know why I’m here,” Darcy started, “but I’m not entirely sure...where to start.” 

Sam nodded understandingly. “That’s not a problem. Just remember that before anything else, you and I are friends. I want you to be okay, and if you can’t be okay? I want you to remember that you can talk to me about anything.”

She smirked wryly at him, “Isn’t there a whole mess of conflicts of interests about that? Being friends with your shrink?”

“Yeah, but seeing as getting trained therapists for superheroes isn’t a thing yet, I’ll do my best for all of us here.”

Darcy frowned. “Who takes care of you?”

Sam’s smile was a small thing, but genuine. “You all do. This works two ways here, Darcy. I’m not just sitting here to look pretty while you talk.  _ I  _ feel better when  _ you _ start feeling better. It’s not always smooth sailing and it sure as hell ain’t pretty, but...it’s  _ good. _ ”

“Yeah,” she agreed, “It’s good.”

They sat in companionable silence for a minute or two before Sam knew he needed to get the ball rolling. Darcy was a chatterbox by nature, but she also could hold her silence if she wanted to. With a gentle nudge, though, Sam could get her talking about everything that was bothering her.

“Having any nightmares?”

Darcy fiddled with the hem of her red sundress that fell across her knees before she reached out and grabbed a small box of Legos off the coffee table between them. (Sam kept a bunch of small things like that on hand when he had sessions, it was amazing how much more people would speak when they had something in their hands.) Immediately the tension in her shoulders bled out some as she played with the rainbow blocks.

“Yeah, there’s been nightmares. From when I was captured before and this time. They’re kind of bleeding together.” She began snapping pieces together, the foundations of a boat taking shape. “Most of the time it’s just normal stuff, like memories of Schmidt and his goons coming after me and hurting me. But sometimes,” her breath hitched and she faltered, but she pushed on. “Sometimes he has Madoc and Seren, Bucky and Steve, and he  _ hurts _ them as he forces me to watch.”

Sam handed her another container of Legos when she ran out, and it seemed like that was all she needed to keep speaking.

“I don’t regret what I did, I don’t. Schmidt wanted my family, and I couldn’t let that happen.” He nodded along, remembering what Red Skull had revealed during his...interrogation. “They were going to take us from our children, our  _ family, _ and use us to fuel whatever manic plan he had for the world. I had the means to save them and I took it.”

“And it was crazy brave, Darcy,” Sam told her. “You were broken and bleeding and half-starved, but you took your chance to break free and to take out your captors and the same time. It was nothing short of amazing that you were able to even  _ walk.” _

Darcy snorted as she added another piece to her boat with a small  _ snap. _ “I killed thirty men--my brain fucking kept count--so I don’t know how amazing that was.” Her hands began to shake and threatened to damage the creation she held as tears threatened to fall. She barrelled on before Sam got a chance to say anything.

“ _ Thirty, _ Sam,  _ thirty. _ Just--? I didn’t even know I was capable of that!” Darcy began to cry in earnest but kept speaking through her sobs. “I took off Schmidt’s  _ head _ , then  _ fucking kept it! _ What type of monster does that make me? Who  _ does  _ that? I tortured him, made him  _ hurt  _  like he had hurt me, then stuffed his head in a backpack as I burned the place to the ground.”

Sam waited until her hiccuping cries had settled a little before prompting her again. “Is that why you won’t hold Seren or Madoc? Because of the blood on your hands?”

Everyone had noticed that Darcy had grown hesitant around her own children. Besides their initial reunion Darcy barely reached for her babies, heartbreak and fear marring her face each time she pulled away. 

Darcy only began to cry harder, but she nodded her head. “I-I don’t  _ deserve _ \--”

“To hold your kids? To be a mother?”

She nodded again and opened her mouth to speak, but Sam cut across her. “Steve holds his children, and  _ he’s  _ killed people. Does he not deserve to be their Dad?”

Darcy shook her head, expression horrified by the implication, “Of course he does--”

“What about Bucky?” Sam pressed, “He was in the War with Steve, then was the Winter Soldier for seventy years. Bucky holds his children, though.”

“He was  _ brainwashed!” _

Her anger was rising, but Sam kept pushing because he knew it was the only way to get Darcy open enough to understand. “What about Thor? The Maximoff’s? Bruce? Tony and Pepper? Natasha and Clint? Hell, even Scott and I have killed someone, and I’m pretty sure Jane killed some of those Elves during the Convergence.  _ They _ aren’t afraid to hold the babies--”

_ “I’m not a hero!” _ Darcy yelled, “ _ I’m not like them! _ I never signed up to be a hero or to fight o-or to be  _ important _ ! I’m not  _ good _ like you all! I’m not noble, or  _ brave _ , or anything! I’m  _ nobody _ , but I killed thirty men and acted like a  _ goddamn monster! _ I’m no better than the people who captured me.”

Sam didn’t hesitate to sit next to Darcy and pull her in his arms as she broke down. He kept his mouth shut, though, knowing that attempting to placate his friend with the usual  _ ‘it’ll be okay’ _ s wouldn’t work. She, like everyone else on the base, was too damn stubborn and smart to listen to that. It took twenty minutes, but eventually Darcy’s sobs quieted. Sam kept her tucked up to his side, though, letting her take whatever comfort she needed. 

“I’m gonna talk for a bit, and I need you to listen, okay?” He waited until he felt Darcy’s nod from where she was burrowed into his shoulder before he kept going.

“You, Darcy Lewis,  _ are  _ a hero.” He pressed a finger against her lips because he just  _ knew _ that his friend was going to start protesting. “Hush, let me finish. You are a hero, and it doesn’t matter that up until recently you didn’t have any superpowers or added another crazy brain to your Wayward Scientists.  _ You _ , Darcy Lewis, are the Avengers’ hero. 

“We’d all be a mess without you, you know that? You brought everyone out of their shell back when they lived in the Tower downtown, and you cared for them. You made sure that the Scientists three didn’t kill themselves or each other, you helped Clint out after Loki, and the Black Widow considers you one of her best friends. Do you really think that just  _ anybody _ could do all those things? Nah, Darcy, had to be you.

“And that’s just what you did back when it was just the original six Avengers. You’ve only gone above and beyond since we all banded together out here. I don’t think Wanda and Pietro would have kept their sanity without you here, not to mention helping Vision learn to be a  _ person. _ ”

Sam took a deep breath, gathering himself. “But I think the bravest thing you’ve ever done was fall in love with our two men out of time.” Darcy’s breath hitched at his side, but he continued. “You helped Steve back in the Tower and didn’t even hesitate to welcome Bucky in with open arms.  _ LIterally. _ ” They chuckled at the memory together.

_ It had been a grueling eight months, but Sam and Steve had finally caught up to Bucky in a ocean-side condo in Italy, of all places. Bucky had decided it was time to come in, but he wanted to make sure that he was safe to be around. The three men stayed in the (crazy luxurious) condo for another month until Sam declared Bucky as safe as he possibly could be. He was still the Winter Soldier, after all, with a whole mess of PTSD that gad Sam’s therapist-senses tingling. It had only taken one call to Tony and before any of them knew what happened, they were standing on the quinjet landing pad on the facility’s roof, face to face with the rest of the Avengers. _

_ Sam knew that they didn’t mean to look intimidating, but Bucky still took half a step back anyways. They all stared at one another in silence, no one knowing what to say first. Everyone jumped when Darcy’s loud voice came from the stairwell at their side. _

_ “Wow, this is awkward.” Ignoring everyone’s posturing Darcy waltzed on up to Sam and threw her arms around his middle in a hug. _

_ “Good to see you, feathers,” she smiled. Sam squeezed her tighter in response then let her go when she began to fidget. Darcy turned to Steve and gave him a hug as well. _

_ “Missed you, Steve.” Everyone’s expressions softened at the embracing friends. No one would say anything, but the whole team knew how crazy the pair were about each other, even if the two in question didn’t.  _

_ “Missed you too, Darce.” Steve pressed a kiss to the top of her head, seemingly without realizing it if his expression of shock a second later was anything to go by.  _

_ Darcy, however, didn’t notice the gesture since she had her eyes on Bucky. The pair searched each other’s gazes for what felt like a small eternity before Darcy grinned, causing Bucky to quirk an eyebrow in confusion. Darcy just held out her arms. _

_ “Come on, Bucky. You get a hug too. In fact, it’s mandatory. Whenever anyone comes home they’re required to give me a hug or else I start to worry and my mother henning instincts go into overdrive. It’s not pretty.” _

_ Bucky looked to everyone in question, probably thinking that she was yanking his chain, but the team collectively shrugged in a ‘it’s true, just roll with it,’ gesture while Steve’s said something along the lines of ‘you don’t have to if you don’t want to.’ To everyone’s surprise the Winter Soldier just smirked and stepped into her arms, returning the embrace. _

_ “Well, who am I to say no to a pretty dame?” _

Sam smiled at the memory and jostled Darcy good naturedly, “You were braver than the entire Avengers in that moment, Darcy. None of us knew what to do and you just brought Bucky in, didn’t even bat an eye.”

He knew how much that moment meant to Bucky, too. In one of their first sessions together, Bucky confessed that Darcy accepting him so easily gave him hope for the first time that he could remember. 

Sobering a little, Sam used his ‘therapist voice’ so Darcy knew to listen to him. “You may not wear a cape or one of our costumes, but you’re our hero, Darcy. More importantly, you’re  _ your children’s hero. _ Doesn’t matter what blood you have on your hands or what guilt you have on your conscious; Seren and Madoc will love you no matter what and will always look to you for love and protection. You’re their mother, and that’s the most heroic thing you could ever do.”

He held Darcy as she broke down in tears again, but Sam knew this time was different. The tension in the air dissipated, leaving behind the feeling of exhaustion and surrender. Darcy still had a long way to go before she was recovered from the trauma, but this was a start. When Sam saw her cuddling Madoc and Seren later that day in the common room, something settled into his chest. 

_ Yeah, _ he thought,  _ it’s a good start. _


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're nearing the end!!!  
> I've got two or three more chapters planned, and i think I'll get another one up tonight!
> 
> FLUFF  
> AND FEELS  
> BUT THE GOOD KIND

Bucky watched as Steve tried his best to get Seren into the the checkered romper with little success. He chuckled when Steve’s massive hands fumbled with daughter’s chubby arms and legs that were flailing around. For being nine months old, the babies sure had a lot of power behind their tiny limbs.

“Come on, sweetheart, just work with me for a moment? Your Ma let me pick out your clothes today, don’t you want her to think I did a good job?”

Seren just babbled a bunch of nonsense (they were close to getting proper words, Bucky could  _ feel _ it) but lay still long enough to let her Dad get her dressed. Steve let out a triumphant  _ ha! _ and picked up the giggling baby to give her a smacking kiss on her cheek.

Bucky looked down at Madoc in his arms, proud as hell that he was able to get their son in his overalls with far less fuss than Steve and Seren. It wasn’t that the two super soldiers were bad at this whole baby-dressing thing--the buttons were super tiny, okay?--but it was just that Darcy had little faith in the pair’s fashion sense to not make their kids look like crawling disasters (they were getting close to walking, too, Bucky could tell). Knowing how long it took to get Steve to stop wearing ‘grandpa khakis’ and plaid button downs, Bucky couldn’t blame her. But today was the guys’ day for baby wrangling, as they had taken to calling it. So easy pull-ons it was. 

Darcy was with Jane and the rest of the ladies, helping Jane get ready for the day. There was a big party happening out on the Facility’s lawn to celebrate Jane and Thor’s engagement, as well as some sort of Asgardian ceremony that would take place as Jane ate the golden apple. Darcy was even officiating the damn thing because Thor asked her to. It wasn’t  _ quite _ a wedding, but it was a damn near thing, Bucky thought. They were assured that the  _ real _ wedding would be the following spring on Asgard, and everyone was invited. 

At the thought, Bucky patted the small velvet box that was in his pocket. His heart rate picked up a little at the motion, which didn’t go unnoticed by Steve.

“You okay, Buck?”

He hummed as he tried to settle his nerves. “I’m good, Stevie. Nervous, but the good kind.”

Steve’s smile was understanding. “Me too. But I think Darcy would want to make honest men out of the two of us, isn’t that right Seren?” Steve began tickling their daughter and made her shriek with laughter, causing the rest of them to begin to giggle too. 

Bucky leaned over to place a kiss on Steve’s lips and smiled big at him. Madoc began squirming in his arms and reached for Steve, prompting his Dad to give him a kiss too. The little moment was broken by Véurr who used his giant head to knock open the nursery door.

Véurr had at last reached his final size, they all thought, and they were all thankful that he was the runt of his litter. The top of his head came to Steve’s pecs, but he lost his gangly puppy look and  _ really _ bulked up. Véurr was a giant ball of fluffy fur overlaying hundreds of pounds of muscle. Its was some miracle of Asgardian voodoo magic that made Véurr as graceful as he was, as well as letting him get by with only  _ slightly _ -alarming portions of dog food rather than the tons of food Bucky would have suspected. 

“Hey, buddy, time to go?”

The dog nodded at Bucky, but kept his eyes and goofy dog smile on the twins. Véurr had taken to sleeping in the babies’ nursery ever since Darcy’s self rescue--for which Steve and Bucky were grateful for. Besides giving the three parents some time alone at night, they also knew that the babies were safe under Véurr’s watch. Not to mention how damn happy Madoc and Seren were at the arrangement. 

Said babies began making little grabby hands at their best friend and began babbling to Véurr happily. Bucky had asked once if Véurr could somehow understand whatever was happening there, and no one was entirely clear on the answer. It wasn’t until they thought to ask one of the resident telepaths (their resident fluent in All-Speak was out on the town with his lady love all day) to ask Véurr. It was revealed that the giant dog had some variation of All-Speak, but he couldn’t use it to communicate with the babies. He said that their minds were not developed enough for full thought, since they couldn't even speak lone words, so he could not understand them. 

Bucky was man enough to say he was a little disappointed at that revelation. He wanted to know if he was being a good Pop, sue him.

Double checking each other’s outfits (dark jeans and nice button downs, already Darcy approved) as well as the babies (clean diapers:  _ check _ ), and smoothing down the fur on the top of Véurr’s head from the babies’ ministrations, the five determined that they were fit for company and headed out onto the practice field behind the facility. 

What was usually a giant expanse of grass and dirt with some obstacles thrown in was now transformed into something beautiful. Strings of lights and flowers were hung from wires that crossed the entire field, hanging down in columns that stopped just a couple feet above their heads. Bucky looked at the grass under their feet and wondered if Tony had gotten more put in; the field was never quite this luscious before. It made him want to take off his shoes and feel the grass between his toes. 

There was a giant white chandelier that hung in the center of the field, positioned over what looked like some sort of altar that was surrounded by a circle of tables and chairs, where Bucky assumed everyone was to sit and watch. At the center the concentration of hanging flowers and lights were the thickest, casting a warm and magical glow over the altar. 

“Are we sure this isn’t a wedding, punk?”

Steve just chuckled, “Honestly? I have no clue anymore. Sure is pretty, though.”

Bucky had to agree with him, the setup was stunning. Véurr had gone off to sniff at everything leaving Bucky with Steve and the babies, looking like a couple of dopes standing out there by themselves. Shrugging, Bucky sat down on the nearest chair and began bouncing Madoc in his lap gently, watching in amusement as his son took in all the new sights with wide-eyed wonder. Steve sat to his left and began doing the same with Seren who babbled the entire time at her fathers and brother. 

Steve chuckled, “I’ve got a feeling that this one is going to be quite the chatter box.”

“Just like Darcy,” Bucky smiled, but immediately dropped it in realization. “I think we need to start cleaning up our language, punk. Rest of the team too.”

“Ha! Though you can imagine Tony’s face when one of the kid’s first words is S-H-I-T or something? Priceless.”

It was Bucky’s turn to laugh, “Yeah, almost as good as when we asked for his blessing.”

Steve and Bucky had decided shortly after Darcy’s self-rescue that they were overdue for buying their girl a ring and marrying her proper. Bucky wasn’t sure how that’d work out, but he figured Thor could come through for them with a ceremony if all else failed. If the God of Thunder officiated a wedding ceremony, it had to be legit, right?

Gathering the babies and Véurr (neither Bucky nor Steve were above hitting below the belt in order to get what they want; the babies were Tony’s weak spot, but paired with Véurr’s big sad eyes they were invincible) the two men had asked FRIDAY to notify them when Tony was alone in the lab, thinking that it’d be best for their future father in law to be comfortable in his own turf, so to speak. 

The five of them had barely even waved a hello when Tony must have pieced together the look of determination on the men’s faces.

“Oh  _ fuck _ no, I  _ know _ you two aren’t about to ask what I think you’re going to ask.”

Undeterred, Bucky and Steve continued to walk toward Tony until they were in proper speaking distance. Véurr plopped himself down onto his belly and put his head on his paws, looking up at Tony with big wet eyes. (They may or may not have practiced this look, but Bucky would never tell.)

Steve cleared his throat and met Tony’s gaze with his ‘Captain America has something important to say’ face, ignoring the other man’s rolling eyes and muttered expletives. “Tony, we love your daughter more than anything. And miracles of all miracles, she loves us back. We have a family together, but we want to marry your daughter. It’d mean the world to us if you’d give us your blessing.”

Despite Tony claiming to know what they were going to ask he seemed shocked into silence. His face warred with his emotions for a while he attempted to keep his trademark devil-may-care smirk in place while he tried his best not to look like he had just seen a ghost. The three men stood in silence with Tony while the twins dozed on in their fathers’ arms and Véurr just sighed heavily while he waited for the humans to get their acts together. After a solid minute and a half of empty air between them all, Bucky reached into his pants’ pocket and pulled out the ring box he had stored there. He flicked the box open with his metal thumb with a  _ snick _ to show Tony.

The ring was simple, yet stunning. The band was a thin, bright rose gold that housed a shocking amount of diamonds. In the center was a larger rounded-square stone, surrounded by smaller circular diamonds. On either side of the center piece were two smaller round diamonds, surrounded by even  _ smaller _ stones. Despite the number of diamonds that shone on the ring, it was a simplistic beauty. Bucky and Steve had fretted for weeks over the right ring, but both of their anxiety had melted away when they found this particular design. It was perfect. 

Tony’s expression warmed when he looked at the ring, but he didn’t make to touch the ring himself for which Bucky was grateful for when he noticed Tony’s grease-stained fingers.

The older man cleared his throat before speaking, “It’s a beautiful ring, you guys did good.”

Steve fidgeted at Bucky’s side, “Thanks, Tony. Darcy’s not exactly easy to shop for, let alone for something this...permanent.”

“You’re definitely right about that,” Tony huffed. He finally seemed to regain his usual snarky demeanor, but both Bucky and Steve could see the warmth in his eyes.

“Yeah, okay. Get hitched, you crazy kids. You have my glorious blessing or whatever, now get out of my lab, I have things to build.”

Bucky was brought back to the present moment when Vision and Wanda walked up, hand in hand and excitement evident on their faces. The pair had apparently been together since the babies were born, but were crazy good at keeping it hidden from everyone and maintaining their privacy (not even Natasha knew that they were together, which the spy couldn’t seem to get over). It wasn’t until after Darcy was kidnapped the  _ second _ time that anyone had realized anything. Pietro’s face when he walked in on his sister making out with the android?  _ Amazing.  _

_ _

“This is beautiful,” Wanda gushed, reaching up to touch the tips of a nearby hanging strand of flowers with her powers. The petals opened wider in response and let out an intoxicating aroma. Vision kept his focus on Wanda and smiled at her easy joy. Véurr trotted up to his best friend’s side and nudged Vision in the stomach with his massive head. Had it been anyone else they would have been knocked flat on their ass. As it was, Vision just huffed out a small breath and patted the giant fluffball on his head.

After a few more minutes the rest of the Avengers and Coulson’s team filed out of the facility and sat in any available seats, chatting to one another quietly. Bucky was impressed by how well everyone cleaned up. Everyone was caught somewhere between ‘special occasion’ and ‘casual comfort,’ but beneath the soft glow of the evening lights they all looked stunning. A hush fell over them all when FRIDAY began playing music softly from hidden speakers, signaling the start of the ceremony. 

Darcy walked out first of the facility first, casual as you please, as if this wasn’t one of the most bananas thing they’d been a part of (Jane was going to become more or less  _ immortal _ in front of them. What the hell are their lives?). She held a small ivory box in her hands, just big enough for one golden apple.

She looked absolutely breathtaking, though, and judging by the glint in Darcy’s eye and the smirk on her lips she sure as hell knew it. Her dress was a deep midnight blue that flowed down to the ground and swirled delicately around her feet. It was simple thing, a comfortable tank-top style of what looked like soft cotton, but the  _ blink and you missed it _ hints of silver threaded throughout the fabric made Darcy look like she belonged in the night sky. Her bright blue eyes were lined with her usual winged liner that never failed to make Bucky and Steve a little crazy, and her lips were her favored dark wine red stain. Darcy’s hair fell gently around her shoulders, her natural waves moving softly in the breeze. 

Both Madoc and Seren began giggling a reaching for their Ma, causing her to take a detour from the altar so that she could go place big smacking kisses on their chubby cheeks. Bucky was man enough to admit that he pouted until Darcy rolled her eyes and planted one on him too before doing the same to Steve. After everyone got their kisses (much to the amusement of their audience) Darcy turned and made her way to the altar once more. 

She took a moment to smile at everyone and gave a small wave of her fingers when Véurr began whining to get her attention. After he was appeased, Darcy took a deep breath before speaking. Her voice shook the slightest amount, and only Bucky and Steve could hear her nerves bleed through her words.

“Thor asked me to ‘officiate’ this ceremony,” she began, “And I’m going to be honest, I was intimidated by the task. I wondered why he didn’t want someone official, or even someone from Asgard to do this. Surely, something as big as this should be witnessed by his court in his home realm, right? It wasn’t until Thor explained it to me that I understood.

“Over the past thousands upon thousands of years, Asgard has gifted only  _ six  _ of Idunn’s apples to mortals. Jane is now the seventh, and is the first to receive an apple in over eight thousand years, as well as the first mortal who is not a warrior to be gifted with near-immortality.” Darcy paused, letting the information sink in for everyone. Only when the gathered crowd seemed properly gobsmacked did she continue.

“Jane will become Aesir once she eats the apple, free to live out her newly extended lifespan in Asgard if she wishes. They will be married in front of the entire realm when the time comes Thor told me, but this moment? This is for us. 

“We have befriended Jane and made Jane part of our family, all while she was still a mortal like us. Well,” she teased, “most of us, more or less.” Everyone chuckled, and Bucky watched as a little tension drained out of Darcy’s shoulders. 

“We, as Jane’s fellow mortals, get to witness this ceremony because it’s a farewell.” Darcy’s breath hitched the slightest bit, but she pushed forward. “We are honored with the opportunity to watch Jane enter a new stage in her life, where she can be with the one she loves without having to fear time pulling them apart.” 

Bucky wanted nothing more than to get up and hug Darcy when he saw the tears in her eyes, and judging by Steve’s clenched jaw he wanted to as well. Their lifespans were only something the three of them had talked about briefly, and only in the dead of night when they were curled around each other. There were theories that the serum would extend their lives, that they wouldn’t age. With the way their bodies healed, Bucky believed it. But the question was, would they live for thousands of years like Thor and now Jane? Or would they just live for a couple hundred, assuming they didn’t die in battle? Steve and Bucky had gotten used to the idea of leaving everyone behind, hell, they’ve already done it (not that it’d be any easier the second time around), but Darcy was still wrapping her head around it. 

How could she say goodbye to her father, now that she had just gotten him? What about all of her friends? She was going to have to leave them all behind, and there was nothing she could do about it. It broke their girl’s heart, and broke Bucky and Steve’s in turn. So that’s why they got her the ring. It was a promise that no matter what else came and went, they’d still be there for her. They’d make sure she never had to face the world alone. 

Shaking himself of the melancholy when Steve nudged him with his elbow, Bucky tuned back into Darcy where she stood at the altar. She swallowed hard against the emotions clogged in her throat and raised her head to meet everyone’s gaze. Despite the tears in her eyes and her slightly trembling voice, Darcy’s joy for her friend and adoptive brother was evident.Without a word she placed the ivory box on the center of the altar, then used a delicate hand to ease the lid back. 

Idunn’s apple seemed to cast a faint golden glow from where it was positioned on a stark white cushion. Bucky heard Steve suck in a harsh breath at the way the light made Darcy look positively ethereal and knew that he was close to drooling at the image himself. As if summoned by the light, Thor and Jane appeared at the edge of the circle of chairs. Or maybe Bucky was just too distracted to see them walk up. 

Thor was in his usual armor, though he put on his winged helm for the occasion. Jane looked more beautiful than Bucky had ever seen her. It wasn’t her dress or her makeup, but rather the way she just radiated pure joy with Thor at her side. One of her biggest fears was about to be destroyed, and she couldn’t be happier.

The pair stepped forward when Darcy held out her hands and beckoned them to her. Once they stopped on the other side of the altar she motioned for them to join hands and place them on the table. As they did so, Darcy gently took the apple from its box by the tips of her fingers and held it between the three of them.

“Heill þú farir, heill þú aftr komir, heill þú á sinnum sér,” as she spoke, Darcy gently arranged Jane and Thor’s clasped hands until they were resting together, palm-up, so that she could place the apple in Jane’s palm. Now that both of her hands were free, Darcy used them to fold her friends’ fingers around the apple. “Hale go forth, hale return, hale on your ways,” she translated.

Darcy took a step back from the altar and watched Jane and Thor with shining eyes. As one, the couple turned their smiles on one another and brought the apple between them. Thor pressed a chaste kiss to Jane’s lips and another to her forehead. He whispered something so quietly that even Bucky couldn’t hear that made Jane smile beautifully. With a wink to her love Jane raised Idunn’s apple to her lips, paused for the smallest moment, then took an enormous and very unlady-like bite that made Thor laugh. Thor’s eyes never left her face as Jane continued to eat every last bite of the fruit and his smile only continued to grow as his beloved neared the core. 

The moment Jane swallowed the last bite she was engulfed in a golden glow that hung around her like mist. It lingered for only a few seconds before it faded away, but it left an imprint on Bucky’s eyes for a couple seconds. He was thankful that he and Steve managed to cover the babies’ faces in the nick of time to protect their sensitive eyes. 

Jane and Thor were looking at each other in a way that made Bucky feel like he was a Peeping Tom. It wasn’t sexual, rather it held so much familiar love that Bucky smiled when he realized that the look mirrored the way he, Steve, and Darcy all looked at one another. It was as if their souls were reaching out to one another right there in front of them all, and it was beautiful. The two Aesir embraced almost harshly then, pouring all of their love and joy and the feeling of  _ relief  _ into each other. 

“Live happy, and love long,” Darcy said gently as they parted, “Never fear the sands of time, for your beloved walks at your side for the rest of your days.”

If Bucky shed a few tears at her soft words, he’d never tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thor and Jane’s ceremony:  
> http://www.weddingelation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/beautiful-outdoor-wedding-venue-decor-5.jpg
> 
> Darcy’s ring:  
> https://img1.etsystatic.com/058/3/8838611/il_570xN.749906059_feod.jpg
> 
> 'old norse blessing' that i googled because i made up this ceremony and needed to give Darcy cool things to say  
> http://www.odins-gift.com/pown/oldnorseblessings.htm


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS IT! The last chapter!  
> DUN DUN DUNNNN
> 
> Gah, this was such a blast to write and I can't thank you guys enough for sending me your love the entire time.  
> You guys rock, seriously.

After the apple-ceremony had ended Jane had said she needed to ‘go lay down for a while so her body could readjust to the new changes.’

_ Right.  _

Thankfully Pepper and Natasha had planned for something like this so there was a good three hours or so between the ceremony and ‘reception’ they had planned. Rather than waste the beautiful decorations everyone had remained outdoors, spreading out underneath the canopy of lights on blankets that were stored under the chairs and resting below the lights and flowers and enjoying the ambiance. However, Darcy couldn’t enjoy it completely.

Darcy could tell that her fellas were up to something, but she just couldn’t tell  _ what. _ Steve was a shit liar, so she wasn’t surprised by his easy tells, but Darcy certainly had higher hopes for someone known as ‘world’s deadliest spy.’ You’d think that Bucky would be better at hiding things, but here they were. Darcy sat with her fellas and her children on a spread out picnic blanket under the hanging flowers and watched the two men fidget. She had tried getting answers from them earlier but had given up when Steve just turned a bright red and Bucky just froze as he tried to find a suitable answer. Darcy rolled her eyes. They’d tell her in their own time, she figured. 

Instead of worrying about her (strange) boyfriends Darcy played with Seren and Madoc. The twins were thankfully content with sitting up on the blanket rather than crawl around--super-babies were  _ so _ fast--which saved Darcy from ruining her dress when she’d inevitably have to chase after them. Madoc’s clumsy fingers held a flower that had fallen from above them and his eyes were wide with curiosity. She tried her best not to laugh at her son, but his utter bafflement was almost too cute. Seren babbled continuously as she played with Darcy’s fingers and seemed absolutely delighted by Darcy’s dark blue nail polish. 

Darcy looked down at her bare left hand that her daughter held and bit her bottom lip at the thought of the two rings she had in her dress pocket. She wanted to marry her boys, as illegal as it was. But then again, they had an ancient Norse god as a friend so anything could happen. When she adjusted their scale for weird things (as Sam always said: “the Avengers obliterate your sense of normal”), Darcy realized that proposing to her fellas couldn’t be too bizarre, right…? She lost herself to her own thoughts for a few minutes, letting Seren’s babbling and Madoc’s soft coos fade into the background.

“Mama!”

While Darcy didn’t snatch her hand back and fall over in surprise, it was a near thing and her fellas weren’t any better. The two men flailed their limbs spectacularly and managed to smack each other in the face as they tried to sit up. Darcy felt her heart thump into over-drive as she looked down at Seren, her tiny chatterbox, who went silent when her parents went beserk.

“Did she just…?” Steve whispered.

Darcy shrugged her shoulders and brought her face closer to her daughter’s as hope bloomed wildly in her chest. “What’d you say, kiddo? Can you say it again?”

Seren opened her mouth, only to blow raspberry as another tiny voice called out again at her side.

“Mama!”

The three adults snapped their gazes to little Madoc, their ever silent baby Madoc, who was holding the now slightly crumpled flower in his tiny hands that were outstretched toward Darcy. 

Ignoring the happy tears in her eyes, Darcy gently cupped her son’s little hands in both of hers. “Is this for me, sweetheart?”

Madoc just smiled big and let out a stream of  _ MamaMamaMamaMamaMamaMama  _ as he giggled. Unable to control herself any longer, Darcy scooped up her son and pulled him to her chest and cried. Seconds later she felt Steve and Bucky wrap her, Madoc, and Seren in their big arms and hold them all tight. 

Darcy’s smile was strong around her tears and she let herself feel every ounce of happiness and relief and  _ love _ that she possibly could. She wasn’t sure why she chose that moment, just that it felt so,  _ so  _ right, so she wriggled a hand out from where it was pinned between Seren and Madoc and dug it into her pocket for the rings she had stashed there. She held the rings in her palm just in front of her fellas’ faces, laughing through her tears as she spoke.

“Marry me?”

There was a beat of silence before both Steve and Bucky began to cry-laugh too and Bucky pulled out a small box from his own pocket.

“Only if you marry us, doll.”

Darcy’s eyes watered even more when she noticed that the band of  _ her _ ring would match the rose gold that lined the black tungsten of the men's rings. There was a lot of fumbling and nodding and  _ Yes, yes of  _ course _ I’ll marry you _ before any of the rings got situated. 

Her laugh was watery when Steve stopped her from putting the ring on the traditional left hand with a murmured, “We had it fitted for your right hand.”

“So are yours,” she told them as she helped slide the rings into place. Darcy kissed the knuckles of Bucky’s metal hand (an awkward maneuver with the five of them pressed so close). “Not that I don’t love this hand, but I think the ring will last longer on your flesh one.”

Steve’s smile was teasing despite his own tears. “Planning on keeping us around a long time sweetheart?”

“Oh, I plan on keeping you boys forever.”

xXx

Tony watched from the edge of the crowd as everyone gathered around Darcy and Jane. Though Darcy was showing off her new ring proudly, the limelight was still very much on Jane and Thor. Foster  _ did _ just extend her lifespan by a good few thousand years, after all. 

He only had few minutes alone with his Scotch before Pepper strode up to him, looking positively divine in her pale gold dress, and leaned against his side.

“Are you brooding, Tony?” She teased.

“Nah, not brooding.”

Pepper hummed and tangled her fingers with his own where their hands hung between them. “You’re not losing her, you know. You’re not losing any of them.”

Tony did his best to clear his throat of any emotion before he spoke but he knew he failed by the way Pepper held his hand tighter. “We only  _ just _ got to be a family, Pep, and now she won’t need me anymore.”

“You were family long before you discovered you were her biological father, and you will be her family long after she is married, too. Don’t be foolish, Tony. Darcy needs you as much as you need her; she’s not going anywhere you can’t follow.”

“Where  _ we _ can’t follow,” he corrected softly, “She needs you too.” Tony had watched the security footage of Darcy calling Pep ‘Mom’ and most definitely shed a few tears, he’ll admit. 

They were a strange family unit, Tony thought, and on paper they never should have worked, even when one took away SHIELD and the Avengers. Darcy by all counts had no need of a father when they met (stumbling into his life at the age of twenty-three and independent as hell) and certainly didn’t need one when she got involved with Steve and Bucky. Yet despite it all, their father-daughter relationship took root and grew even before they realized they shared blood. But ever since the discovery, the bond had only solidified. 

It should have been weird and convoluted as hell, but it worked. They fell into the roles of  _ father and daughter _ just as easily as they fell into the roles of  _ friends.  _ It was a heavy feeling, but a welcome one, Tony decided. The feeling of happiness buoyed when he looked up from his and Pepper’s clasped hands to see Seren tottering on unsteady legs toward him, one itty bitty hand buried in Véurr’s fur where the dog walked at her side. 

Once Seren realized she had her grandparents’ attention she let out a loud stream of laughing babble, trying hard to make her uncooperative feet move even faster. Tony was quick to stride forward and lift his granddaughter into his arms when she tripped over her excited feet and fell onto her belly. Thankfully, she only laughed as she fell instead of cried.

“So much like Darcy,” Pepper laughed at his side, tickling Seren’s chubby tummy as the baby kept up her steady stream of gibberish.

“Bucky too,” Tony added. “Don’t let that stoic mask fool you, he’ll never shut up if you get him started.”

“Oh, no. We’re doomed.”

Tony chuckled as Seren tucked her head under his chin and let out a little tired sigh. Clearly the ten steps were too much for her to handle after such an exciting day.

“Yeah,” he agreed, “but in the best possible way, I think.”

xXx

It was the twins’ first birthday, and the entire facility was going  _ nuts. _ The SHIELD team was busy corralling the security teams (except for Coulson and Fury, they were in charge of the twins until the party was ready to go. Seeing the two stoic men chase after her children was by far one of the most hilarious things Darcy had ever seen). The Avengers were in charge of decorations, which Darcy frankly to be ridiculous seeing as the babies were  _ one. _ She was fairly certain that Madoc and Seren didn’t care about streamers or anything else, but if it made her family happy to make the damn facility look like a carnival she could save her grumbling for another day. Darcy couldn’t help but to cringe when she thought about her Dad being in charge of ‘entertainment,’ though. It was either going to be wildly inappropriate (she got flashes of Iron-Baby suits) or heartwarmingly sentimental (Tony had mentioned wanting a petting zoo).Darcy tried her best not to think of the million and one things that could go wrong today. 

Instead, she should be focusing on Jane who had her head in the toilet, as well as trying to keep her own lunch down as well. 

“Wasn’t the golden apple of awesome supposed to prevent you from getting sick? Can’t say I’ve ever heard of Thor getting any type of bug. Not even a cold.” Darcy’s voice was tight in her throat from fighting her own nausea when Jane threw up once more. 

“I have no clue,” Jane groaned as she peeked around her folded arms, “But you’re looking a little green yourself, isn’t the serum supposed to keep you healthy too?”

Both women froze as it just fucking clicked.

“Oh god,” unable to hold it any longer Darcy pushed Jane to the side and lost her lunch into the toilet. When she was done she gratefully accepted the glass of water Jane handed her and cleaned out her mouth.

“You’re practically married to the god of fertility, Jane! How the hell did you not know you were pregnant?!”

Jane’s eyes were wild with something that looked a lot like panic, “I don’t know! I’m on birth control! What the hell is  _ your _ excuse?”

Darcy thought back to the night of Jane’s immortality ceremony three months ago, and her own night of ‘we just got engaged’ sex with her fellas. They had used condoms and everything!...right? Darcy suddenly got a flash of a memory: her case of birth control pills (now adapted for super-serum swimmers), empty and forgotten in the excitement.

_ Dammit. _

“I ran out,” Darcy leaned back against the tub and closed her eyes when Jane heaved again in the toilet. “But what about  _ you? _ Did you get Bruce to make you new birth control? You had been taking  _ human _ pills, Jane, you need Asgardian ones.”

Jane groaned loudly when she realized her mistake. “Well, don’t I feel stupid?”  Darcy opened her mouth to toss out a witty retort when her stomach lurched once more. Snapping her mouth shut, she waited for the ickiness to pass before she thought it was safe to open her trap.

“Want to stow our panic for right now and freak out about this later?”

Jane nodded gratefully, “ _ Please. _ Let’s get through the party then have a good panic attack about more babies over a tub of ice cream. Deal?”

“Deal. But we should probably mentally warn our resident telepaths to keep their damn mouths shut.” Hell, Wanda and Vision were probably already aware just from the sheer amount of panic that was radiating from the bathroom.

Jane and Darcy helped one another fix makeup and hairdo’s, as well as spend another good five minutes dedicated entirely to mouthwash to rid any evidence of their emergency bathroom break. 

Hands clasped together tightly, the best friends walked out of the bathroom with their heads held high and only a little panic in their hearts. Mostly, though, there was joy. 

~

“Something’s up with our fiance,” Steve muttered to Bucky. Despite his worry he couldn’t stop the damn grin on his face. 

_ Fiance. _

It’d been three months since they had their bizarre proposal between the three of them (though wasn’t that just par for the course these days?) and Steve still couldn’t shake his giddiness. Bucky would roll his eyes and call him a sap, but Steve could see the pure, unadulterated joy in his eyes too. 

Bucky hummed, too busy wiping what looked like hot pink icing from Seren’s face to pay attention to Steve’s fretting. 

The party was in full swing by now, everyone from SHIELD and the entire Avengers family crowding the practice field that they had converted into something like a carnival. There were things that were appropriate and fun for both the adults (rifle shooting and racing bumper cars) and the babies (Steve thought the petting zoo was a nice touch). Steve was even had a blast competing with Thor for the strength test, even if he had to spend fifteen minutes explaining why using Mjolnir was cheating.

“I’m serious, Buck. Look at her,” Steve gestured with the hand not being used to hold Madoc to Darcy, who had her head bent near Jane’s as the two whispered to one another. “Something’s off. She looks pale and sick but she keeps shoving food into her mouth.” The shoving food into her mouth thing wasn’t abnormal due to their high metabolism, but the way Darcy looked like she was batting nausea rather than enjoying her food with her usual rapture was. 

Bucky finally cleaned off their daughter’s face and looked up, concern etching his features. He studied Darcy for a few moments and narrowed his eyes.

“Yeah, something’s not right.” Steve watched Bucky’s face as the other man tilted his head in curiosity. “Stevie,” he began slowly, “That expression Darcy’s making, does that look a little familiar to you?”

Steve, too, tilted his head as he looked at Darcy. She was still talking to Jane but the way the pair were grimacing as they stuffed their faces was odd, to say the least. When Darcy laid a hand against her stomach for the briefest moments, and Jane mirrored her, it clicked.

“Oh,  _ fu-- _ drat!” He yelped.

Bucky laughed at Steve’s struck expression and clapped him on the shoulder with his free hand. “C’mon, I think we’ve got something to ask our girl.”

After what felt only like a blink of an eye later, Steve was standing in front of Darcy with wide eyes. Jane left them when Darcy, Bucky, and Steve began having a conversation that only consisted of smiles, shoulder shrugs, and quirked eyebrows. Tentatively, Steve reached forward with his free hand and placed it on Darcy’s still-flat stomach.

“Sweetheart, are you…?” He couldn’t speak around the hope in his voice.

Darcy’s chuckle was wet, but her eyes were full of joy as she responded to his unasked question, “Well, we’re definitely going on another adventure, fellas.”

Bucky let out a loud whoop of joy at Steve’s side and immediately brought both Steve and Darcy, as well as the twins, into a crushing hug.

Looking at his two fiance’s and at the twins in his arms, Steve couldn’t help the big dumb grin on his face.

“There’s no one I’d rather go on this adventure with than you two.”

  
  
  


**FIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND THAT'S A WRAP!!  
> Ahh we came full circle, didn't we? And they all lived happily ever after for the rest of eternity, the end!  
> Like with WLS, I may come back and add snippets and one-shots to this fic one day, but for now, it's complete.
> 
> FRIENDS!  
> I just want to say: THANK YOU  
> You guys have been so supportive and so awesome, and that's really the only reason why this thing even got written in the first place. Honestly, you guys are the best readers I could have ever asked for.  
> Thank you for all your love since this fic started, it means the world to me.
> 
> FUN STUFF:   
> Steve and Bucky’s rings:  
> https://img0.etsystatic.com/104/1/8106268/il_570xN.957590326_3dia.jpg  
> Darcy’s ring [again]:  
> https://img1.etsystatic.com/058/3/8838611/il_570xN.749906059_feod.jpg


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